On Friday, the Oudenaarde Criminal Court sentenced a former nursery school teacher to 12 years in prison for multiple sexual assaults against children, including rape.
The court heard how Thijs D.W., now 39 years old, raped at least 16 boys between the ages of two and a half and five. He cared for the victims as a special needs teacher at De Springplank primary and nursery school in Onkerzele, East Flanders.
He was also found guilty of distributing images of sexual assault against minors.
In addition to the prison sentence, the former teacher was banned from all contact with the victims for the next 20 years and prohibited from working with minors for the same period.
His trial took place behind closed doors at the request of the civil parties.
'One of the most serious sexual offences in Belgium'
According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, the defendent made light of his actions. Lisa-Marie Parmentier, who represents some of the victims, said before the hearing that she expected D.W. to take full responsibility for his actions.
"In my opinion, this is one of the most serious sexual offences in Belgium," she said.
The emotional toll of the trial was evident when several parents left the courtroom during the hearing.
The case was brought to light last year when the American FBI intercepted a video showing a young boy being abused. After the file was passed on to Europol, analysis of the images revealed that the abuse took place in a classroom at De Springplank. The man was arrested on 2 February last year and has been in custody ever since.
In total, there are more than 30 civil parties in the case. These include the parents of the victims, the school involved, Child Focus and the man's ex-partner.
The public prosecutor had been seeking the maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
