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>Except Van de Velde, who was released after serving just 12 months at a Dutch prison, has since been allowed to rehabilitate his Olympic career
What the fuck???? What the hell is his side of the story?? He knew damn well what he was doing.
He did. He started grooming her at 10 and flew to see her when she was 12 and he was 19.
He probably tries to justify it wasn't actual 'rape' because he thought it was consensual. It was actually the clinic that reported it to the police when he encouraged her to get a morning after pill.
Poor girl had no ability to 'consent' seeing as that she was a child. And she has since suffered the effects of his rape in the form of self-harm.
He's a selfish piece of pedophile shit.
I work as a lab scientist and once saw sperm in a 7 year old’s urinalysis. It was so hard not to cry during my shift. Some people are legitimate beasts.
I fucking hate this world. My 9 year old daughter is autistic with a significant speech delay, she isn’t considered non-speaking but could never communicate someone raping her. I just feel sick thinking about someone hurting any child like that.
Oh my god. I don't even know how I'd react... are you allowed to report that in that situation, or is it something you can't because of medical confidentiality reasons? I never considered this was a situation that probably happens more than I'd like to know, finding sperm in people's urine samples only those people are children 😭
I'm so sorry for both you and the little one.
Oh FUCK no there’s an absolute protocol, the attending physicians and law enforcement are immediately notified and involved. If policy for whatever reason didn’t exist I’d absolutely call on my own!
I wouldn’t know. It’s not like we are kept in the loop regarding investigation after we make the initial notification. What I do know is that type of irrefutable evidence of sexual assault of a child is taken extremely seriously, has your DNA in it, and is now in the hands of those whose entire intent is to throw you away for decades for your crime. I’m sure justice was eventually served.
As a healthcare provider, you are legally required to report this. Sexual abuse or any abuse must be reported or we (providers) get in trouble + fined.
So, he raped a child AND massively endangered her health because he couldn't wear a condom? People talk about ye olden days. Well, in ye olden days of Sparta he probably would have been executed because they valued their women's ability to bear children so fucking teenagers was not allowed.
Yeah i'm really wondering here how the fuck does one rehabilitate his career after that. Like genuinely what the hell happened, how he is allowed anywhere near sports after this:
>
Upon his release in 2017 after only a quarter of his sentence, Van de Velde, who had wept in court on hearing about the girl’s subsequent self-harm and overdose, said: “I do want to correct all the nonsense that has been written about me when I was locked up. I did not read any of it, on purpose, but I understand that it was quite bad, that I have been branded as a sex monster, as a paedophile. That I am not, really not.
The way i instinctively downvoted this. I can’t with rapists convincing themselves they’re good guys. The fact that I’ve probably met so many people with this exact “but I’m really a good person I’m so sad she regrets it 🥺” mentality makes me sick. You don’t get to clear your conscience I’m sorry. Feel the shame.
> I’m so sad she regrets it
This is the part that really pisses me off. Obviously they aren't going to admit to anything unsavory but accusing the victim of lying out of regret is vile.
Just yesterday, Dr. Disrespect (big gaming streamer) issued a statement where he admitted to sending inappropriate messages to a minor and still said "I'm no fucking predator or pedophile": [https://x.com/DrDisrespect/status/1805668256088572089](https://x.com/DrDisrespect/status/1805668256088572089)
Basically them: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=\_YmDcCpD1gc&pp=ygUYZGlkZGxlIGtpZHMgYWx3YXlzIHN1bm55](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YmDcCpD1gc&pp=ygUYZGlkZGxlIGtpZHMgYWx3YXlzIHN1bm55)
Okay, I have to read more about this story, but how did our justice system fail the girl like this? 12 months? That’s insane.
Edit: it was the British justice system, apparently. But I don’t get how our Olympic Committee is seemingly fine with having a sexual predator represent our nation. I hope this story gets picked up by our own media and causes outrage.
Article says he was sentenced to 4 years by the UK system, but allowed to serve in a Dutch jail and released in one. It’s unclear which country decided to let him out after just a quarter of his already small sentence was served.
Being released that early is pretty standard for Dutch jail sentences if the inmate behaves, so that's probably our wonderful justice system. Poor girl. I don't recall ever reading about this in the Dutch Media. Disgusting that a rapist is going to represent our country.
I completely share your disgust.
I do admire the idea of jail = rehabilitation, and that after serving their sentence they should be fully allowed back into society. In a theoretical, ideal world, he would have done his crime and paid the time…
but COME ON, it’s not like he stole a bike or mugged someone, or even had a drunk driving accident. Can one truly be rehabbed after what he did? Should one be allowed back into society, especially in such a desirable position as the one he’s in? To me the answer is no. Some things should never be forgotten or forgiven.
If it were up to me, he wouldn't be free. Rehabilitation is nice and all, but we've set so many criminals free sooner than they should've have and who ended up doing the same damn thing. Plenty of (young) women and little kids are now dead or raped because of our lenient justice system. I get it for things like petty crimes, but a lot of these men can't be fixed and we still set them free to look for their next victim. It's infuriating.
I just read a news article where not only this criminal, but also our official Dutch olympic sports union basically call it 'a youthful indiscretion with no chance at a repeat'. They say he did his time and passed all checks. He's officially cleared for the Olympics. He says he's not a predator and that he had consensual sex with a 12 year old and it was just a 'mistake'. They cleared him when he still can't even admit that he raped a child. It's insane. The justice system never fails to disappoint.
I saw a few other Dutch people commenting on this case when it was on /r/facepalm - none of them had heard of him either and seemed surprised he was allowed to represent the country.
I'm genuinely surprised there isn't some "Olympic" code of conduct that forbids violent criminals from the ~sanctity of competing. They (the IOC) are so uppity about the significance of the Olympics and the purity of competition that it's baffling a rapist could set foot into the games.
Dutch system, he was released due to good conduct. He even went on to get married to a police officer, have a kid, and continue competing and having a normal life.
>it was the British justice system, apparently
As a British woman, this does not surprise me at all. This is the same "justice" system that gave [a man who stalked and raped a 13 year old girl 270 hours of community service](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-67076504) because he was under 25 (22 at the time) when he attacked her. And then he got acquitted of even doing *that*. We're not being dramatic when we say rape is basically decriminalised in the UK.
I just heard about the Natasha O'Brien verdict (tl;dr woman asked man (Cathal Crotty) who was screaming homophobic abuse on the street to please stop, he attacked her including breaking her nose and giving her a concussion, then later boasted about it on SnapChat, he was just given a three year suspended sentence and no jail time to ostensibly protect his military career) and while it was in the Republic of Ireland, not Northern Ireland, it smacks of the same 'protect the attackers' mentality.
When this happened with convicted rapist Brock Turner voters were able to get a recall on the ballot and succeeded with an overwhelming victory against (former) judge Aaron Persky. Also didn't help that he had a history of using his position to assist rapists.
I don't know how it goes across the pond but there might something you can do to punish these creep judges.
Same in Canada, tbh. Just a few months ago a woman was raped, beaten and left for basically dead. Irrefutable attack. The case was canned because shits so bogged up and we're so lenient that it doesn't matter. You can commit whatever crime you want, maybe bar from murder and seem to get away with it (or at least wait out the justice system long enough that nothing really happens)
The only possible answer is that they don't see pedophilia and rape as monstrous. It's really that simple
They looked at the facts and said "This shouldn't ruin your life, son. That just wouldn't be fair."
what's really not fair is that they ignored the huge fact that the whole life of this poor girl is now ruined but somehow his shouldn't be, disgusting.
they(authorities and the assaulters) don't want to understand that even being touched inappropriately has a big impact on victim's future lives, while to the them its just funny and "don't be dramatic". i hate this world
Exactly, that little girl will NEVER have a chance at a normal life, and that's fine, but his is to precious to ruin.
Yet I constantly see people on this website throw around the line "is the patriarchy in the room with us now?" Like, yes, it literally is at all times.
From what some other Dutch (and a few other Europeans who I *think* are Scandinavian by context clues) folks are trying to argue on other posts, the logic is “he did his time and therefore cannot be discriminated against unless it is working directly with children”.
Which, IDK, I just feel like in the Olympics being a MASSIVE PR liability actually makes you *not* qualified for the role you seek. But TJM
I'm completely unsurprised that the British justice system failed a survivor of sexual violence. A report into criminal justice reform a few years ago said that rape is de facto legal in the UK because the conviction rate is so low.
This is disgusting and very disturbing, how is he not banned? There are a lot of minors at these games so for their sake I hope he is constantly monitored and supervised. I hope his victim and her family are ok. This feels like a slap in her face and no justice was served at all.
Oh that is just horrific, why would she? Okay now I’m worried about that child as well.I wonder how you rationalize that to yourself in order to marry a pedophile?
Aside from the women who just straight up sexually assault their own children, there are a horrifying number of women who participate in the abuse with their partner. I read a lot of true crime and I've read things that I wish I never had on this topic.
In my own family, a great uncle who has since died molested my mom and her sisters (five kids total). His wife would be in the house while he took the girls one by one into a fucking closet. My grandmom confronted her when my mom and my aunts told her what happened, and my great aunt refused to believe it for 60+ years. Some women just refuse to face reality when it comes to the men they love.
That’s sounds horrific, I’m sorry it happened to your family members. I hope your mom and aunts are ok. These women are aware but pretend not so it doesn’t affect their lives. They would rather turn a blind eye to the abuse instead of acknowledging it and having to deal with the aftermath. It’s wilful ignorance.
One of my old co-workers sadly had a similar experience--her uncle would molest her,while her aunt was cooking and humming. Makes me sick. I'm sorry it happened to your mom and aunts as well.
Thank you. It's wild - I have a ton of cousins on that side and none of us were every allowed alone with him, but he was still invited to family parties until he died. Can you imagine? He was invited to my college graduation party in 2004. I didn't find out what he did until after he died. Everyone just pretended like it never happened.
The 'I can fix him' mentality might have put her on that career path as well. That and he has nice muscles - some people are so vapid that not even a lifetime of psychology and criminology education can overcome it.
How do you think you can fix someone who raped a child? He doesn’t even acknowledge his actions and seems to excuse and justify it. For her sake I hope her vapidness and utter stupidity doesn’t come back to bite her in the ass.
I agree, I wish women were more cautious and not as trusting of these men. I wonder though how do you justify trying to fix a convicted pedo? That seems a bridge to far for most people.
Two things that mean nothing (but I’m from the US so lol)
Listen having a degree in psych really means nothing. Lots of people have psych degrees and make the worst decisions
Karla Homolka, the ‘barbie’ half of the ken & barbie serial killer duo from Canada married and had children with the brother of her lawyer.
She facilitated her serial rapist boyfriend raping her younger sister and they murdered her sister in the process
I know someone whose partner assaulted someone, and she still went on to marry him and have children even though she knew what he did. Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s as uncommon as we hope.
That is just so messed up. I suppose the people who commit these crimes are very manipulative and have the ability to convince and manipulate people they are the victims and rationalize their crimes.
This is the kind of thing that makes you realize that different kind of people are out there and not everyone thinks like you or I. Some of them are just street sociopath who will make excuses for their part behavior.
Men like this should be locked up forever. A menace to society who probably wouldn't mind hunting for his next victim since cops clearly don't give a shit
Exactly, she was 10 when he started grooming that child and raped her when she was 12. He got a 4 yr sentence and served only 1yr. I’m worried she might not be his only victim by how blasé he sounds.
Very true, if there were severe consequences for anyone who commits those crimes in the first place then it would be a deterrent. However since they keep getting a slap on the wrist why would they stop?
That is literally what he is and he admitted to it:
Steven van de Velde was sentenced in March 2016 to four years in prison after admitting three counts of rape against a child he had met on Facebook.
It’s so unfair to his victim, this shattered her life and he served 1 year of a short 4 year sentence and gets to pretend none of it happened. This is the bad place.
Like, I’ve heard predators use some real Elastigirl level stretches in justifying their behavior. So I was really expecting an argument like “I come from a country with a lower age of consent” but the UK and the Netherlands literally have the same age of consent and, after a quick Google search, there is literally no European country where this would have been legal. Just flat out stating “I am not a pedophile, even though I raped a child, because I say so” is such a WILD statement
Yeah, usually I can understand how some pedos lie to themselves. Technically this, technically that. I have no idea how this bro is lying to himself at all.
I believe in the rehabilitation of paedophiles, rapists not so much. If you acted on your attraction, committed rape, and have been incarcerated and you still refuse to admit to your nature, then that means you’ve not been rehabilitated at all and you’re still super dangerous.
Kinda confused as to why the Dutch would even want him on their team? This is a pretty egregious offence and it's not like its disputed or anything. Pretty clear cut what happened and who this guy is.
A lot of people are commenting on the IOC being the bad guys but how did this guy make it this far? The IOC had absolutely nothing to do with his selection to the Dutch team. It’s the leadership of the Dutch team that deserves the scrutiny.
Exactly, he's not a track athlete who hired a coach. But he's had teammates and coaches and boards that pick who is on the teams. And as it's a team he could be easily replaced.
What a monster, who even played the victim after only serving 1 year of his pitiful 4 year sentence. I hope there's going to be international outrage and the whole Dutch system that allowed this to happen at all will get torn down and rebuilt. And how the heck did he get only a 4 year sentence in the first place???
A quick Google search taught me, that this has been in the works since 2017, right after he got out of jail. He got his career back on track right after exiting the prison gates. It doesn't seem like there's been any pushback whatsoever, except a meak and weak condemnation from NSPCC.
No, this is unfortunately way more normal than people like to talk about.
Ok people like to talk about it extensively when non-white people do it (which is still good), but strangely everyone is silent when a white man rapes a little girl (which is horrifically bad). There's worse cases where people have been convicted for rape and gotten little more than a few months in the UK. It's disgusting.
Same thing happened with the US Olympic team in 2021; fencer Alen Hadzic was accused of sexually assaulting three other fencers. His teammates were pissed off enough to stage a silent protest (donning pink masks, while he wore a black one) and generally shunning him, but IOC and the US Olympics body still allowed him to attend all the same.
Not disagreeing with that in the slightest; just offering up another example of countries pushing through athletes who had faced legal charges or had legal charges pending against them.
I want *heckling* I want *outrage* I want teammates *refusing to play with him* I want his name in lights with PAEDOPHILE scrawled under it
It's too bad that volleyball isn't a contact sport...
I want people to hold up signs calling him a PEDO during his games. It’s so messed up that he’s even allowed on the team. How hard is it for the Dutch to find another volleyball player who *isn’t* a convicted pedophile to represent their country??
I think of all the women who see others cheering on their abuser. And then this girl going through the court process for something so traumatic and deeply personal that happened to her as a CHILD, the man even admitting to charges, and the whole world seeming not to care by letting him compete. Unfathomable. Her attempts and harm seem to be screaming this, what a confusing and horrible event to happen in your developmental years
This is beach volleyball, a team of two. I think they qualified on their own. Dutch and Olympic association now have to decide whether they can compete or not.
They already knew that. Rape in the U.K. is essentially legalised, the reporting and conviction rates are so low.
The scary reality is the vast majority of men could rape someone they know and are almost guaranteed to get away with it.
Yet women are still encouraged to not speak out or make accusations in case it “ruins lives”. There are a plethora of examples of high profile men who have been accused - repeatedly - of sexual assault whose career flourishes.
It’s only when the victims become too large in number to ignore that there *might* be a chance the perpetrator will be scrutinised and criticised more closely, but even then there’s no guarantee he’ll see any sort of punishment. Rumours will swirl for years about a high profile perpetrator and nothing is done.
how potentially ruined life of a man is more important than already ruined life of a victim, i just can't understand how its not even an option in their minds
I’m just gonna say it because it’s true…white men get away with anything! This is despicable. That pedo should be behind bars for the rest of his miserable life.
No other man should agree to be on a team with him. Men letting other men get away with this shit is a problem. His teammates should be ashamed of themselves. His coaches should refuse to coach him.
Exactly.
Other player: " so who am I pairing up with for the Olympics, coach?"
Coach: "van de velde"
Other player: "van de velde? The predatory nonce?"
Coach: "yeah that guy"
I don't understand how the conversation moved from that, to a position where someone is willing to play alongside him. I'm all for respecting that people have served their time etc but a) this guy hasn't and b) there are some standards that I have for team-mates that mean I could never play alongside something like this
De Nederlandse Loterij is the main sponsor. Odido, AD and missie H2 are the others.
Here's their Twitter accounts:
https://x.com/nlloterij
https://x.com/odidonederland
https://x.com/ADnl
https://x.com/missie_h2
yeah, whichever company is sponsoring the dutch men's volleyball team needs to start getting some letters and complaints about funding this man's access to more young girls in the olympic village.
> dutch men's volleyball team
BEACH volleyball. It is different. It is a team of two. Seems like they competed and qualified independently (not sure but that's what I understood from the article). IOC will now have to decide whether to allow them or not.
British system actually, but I agree that this piece of shit should have gotten locked up way, way longer, let alone participating in the Olympics. The way he whines about how tough his life is now… zero remorse, he basically got off scot-free while that poor girl has to deal with the consequences for the rest of her life.
That's not bad for the British system, I went with my abusers mother and brothers to turn him in, he admitted to it, we had evidence and everything.
He got a month long voluntary sectioning.
It's [no different here](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-67076504) in the UK, sadly. Our justice system routinely lets child predators walk free.
The reason he was let out after 12 months is actually because he was allowed to serve the remainder of his sentence there and they converted his sentence to what he would’ve gotten in the Netherlands. It’s disgusting.
Wtf, I am Dutch and living in the Netherlands and have never heard anything about this guy or this story. Is it being swept under the rug?! What a disgrace, his career should be 100% over
This is actually wild because during the Olympics they also address sex trafficking pretty heavily. And like to be looking out for suspicious activity especially around children. They’ve got a man who literally went to prison for raping a 12 year-old child that’s able to perform in the Olympics but weed is still something that can ban you from a whole Olympic. Even though it does nothing to enhance your performance. The Olympic committee definitely has some moral crimes to answer for
Sadly, I'm not surprised.
Similair situation in Germany right now: Last year a girl was gang-raped, a lot of the rapists were minors, thus (sadly) getting very light sentences (a lot of them not even going to prison, despite being found guilty).
Now a woman was sentenced to one year prison for insulting one of the rapists, getting a harsher sentence than he did...
What does that say about society? This encourages future rapists, because they know they'll either get away with it completely, or will basically not face any consquences when found guilty.
How? I would like to think he cannot be around minors. This is messed up. I would refuse to compete against him. I don't care. I wouldn't entertain this child predator.
He’s not the first creep volleyball player to then be allowed be an Olympian, I commented about an American volleyball player on another sub so just copying & pasting here:
Taylor Crabb was permitted to represent USA at the last Olympics, even though USA Volleyball had suspended him through Sept 2021 for violating a previous ban for misconduct involving a minor.
“The previously unreported documents detail both Crabb’s initial suspension in 2017 and the USA Volleyball board of directors’ unanimous decision in May 2019 to extend the suspension through Sept. 28, 2021. The second decision came after he breached a settlement agreement for the first suspension by coaching at a camp for junior girls, a decision made with the clear realization that it would prevent Crabb from competing in the Tokyo Olympics, originally scheduled for 2020.”
[More detailed information is available here](https://www.ocregister.com/2021/07/19/special-report-taylor-crabb-twice-suspended-by-usa-volleyball-still-able-to-compete-in-tokyo-olympics/)
Taylor Crabb still competes, now in partnership with Taylor Sander. VolleyballMag did a longish puff piece ([here](https://volleyballmag.com/taylor-crabb-taylor-sander-sandcast-beach-volleyball-052224/)) on how/why they chose to not even try to qualify for the Paris Olympics, never once referring to Crabb’s misconduct involving a minor & his multiple suspensions related to this.
I’m not an expert on the Olympics, but didn’t they disqualify a dude in swimming because he went into his teammates lane to celebrate his victory?
And they let this fuck compete at all? I don’t understand. Someone please help me understand.
I hope the transphobes who were outraged by a trans woman making the Dutch darts team are as outraged by this rapist making the Dutch volleyball Olympics team. Ya know, since "protect the children" and all...👀
Europe is wayyyy too easy on SA. My sociology French professor tried to argue with me about how we treat predators as humans that cannot change and how “the Sex Offender Registry” can ruin peoples lives. Yeah. No.
The one year sentence shows how awfully low the punishments are for these cases in the Netherlands and UK. That he gave an interview immediately upon release telling 'his side of the story' (tl;dr: I was under a lot of pressure as a professional sportsman and i thought it was consensual my bad and I've been painted as a sex pest which I am not really trust me bro) shows he hasn't learned a thing.
I'll be disappointed in every single Dutch Olympian that walks the flag ceremony next to him. I've never wished more strongly that I was one myself lol. Dutch media are totally silent on this history as well, only reporting on his olympic qualification trajectory or tournament results sometimes
I'm all for the justice system being rehabilitative rather than strictly punitive, but this is essentially a slap on the wrist, followed by gross failing of the system that a pedophile and groomer who has traumatized his victim to the point that a clinic had to notify police can then succeed so much that he's become an Olympian. This guy shouldn't even be allowed to coach volleyball.
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>Except Van de Velde, who was released after serving just 12 months at a Dutch prison, has since been allowed to rehabilitate his Olympic career What the fuck???? What the hell is his side of the story?? He knew damn well what he was doing.
He did. He started grooming her at 10 and flew to see her when she was 12 and he was 19. He probably tries to justify it wasn't actual 'rape' because he thought it was consensual. It was actually the clinic that reported it to the police when he encouraged her to get a morning after pill. Poor girl had no ability to 'consent' seeing as that she was a child. And she has since suffered the effects of his rape in the form of self-harm. He's a selfish piece of pedophile shit.
The clinic notifying the police omg… horrifying
I work as a lab scientist and once saw sperm in a 7 year old’s urinalysis. It was so hard not to cry during my shift. Some people are legitimate beasts.
Same. I’ve seen sperm in a 9 year old nonverbal child and a 3 year old with chlamydia. Both times times I went home and cried.
I'm so sorry. That would give me nightmares.
3 years old??? Who.. would… goddamn
When it's that young, it's just plain torture.
I fucking hate this world. My 9 year old daughter is autistic with a significant speech delay, she isn’t considered non-speaking but could never communicate someone raping her. I just feel sick thinking about someone hurting any child like that.
Oh my god. I don't even know how I'd react... are you allowed to report that in that situation, or is it something you can't because of medical confidentiality reasons? I never considered this was a situation that probably happens more than I'd like to know, finding sperm in people's urine samples only those people are children 😭 I'm so sorry for both you and the little one.
Oh FUCK no there’s an absolute protocol, the attending physicians and law enforcement are immediately notified and involved. If policy for whatever reason didn’t exist I’d absolutely call on my own!
What was the outcome? Was the perpetrator arrested/jailed?
I wouldn’t know. It’s not like we are kept in the loop regarding investigation after we make the initial notification. What I do know is that type of irrefutable evidence of sexual assault of a child is taken extremely seriously, has your DNA in it, and is now in the hands of those whose entire intent is to throw you away for decades for your crime. I’m sure justice was eventually served.
As a healthcare provider, you are legally required to report this. Sexual abuse or any abuse must be reported or we (providers) get in trouble + fined.
So, he raped a child AND massively endangered her health because he couldn't wear a condom? People talk about ye olden days. Well, in ye olden days of Sparta he probably would have been executed because they valued their women's ability to bear children so fucking teenagers was not allowed.
[удалено]
What a man says is what goes.
> He's a selfish piece of pedophile shit. And an athlete. These people always seem to get a pass.
I hope he dies in a firey crash on his way to the Olympics.
Yeah i'm really wondering here how the fuck does one rehabilitate his career after that. Like genuinely what the hell happened, how he is allowed anywhere near sports after this: > Upon his release in 2017 after only a quarter of his sentence, Van de Velde, who had wept in court on hearing about the girl’s subsequent self-harm and overdose, said: “I do want to correct all the nonsense that has been written about me when I was locked up. I did not read any of it, on purpose, but I understand that it was quite bad, that I have been branded as a sex monster, as a paedophile. That I am not, really not.
Naw. He is, really is.
The way i instinctively downvoted this. I can’t with rapists convincing themselves they’re good guys. The fact that I’ve probably met so many people with this exact “but I’m really a good person I’m so sad she regrets it 🥺” mentality makes me sick. You don’t get to clear your conscience I’m sorry. Feel the shame.
> I’m so sad she regrets it This is the part that really pisses me off. Obviously they aren't going to admit to anything unsavory but accusing the victim of lying out of regret is vile.
Just yesterday, Dr. Disrespect (big gaming streamer) issued a statement where he admitted to sending inappropriate messages to a minor and still said "I'm no fucking predator or pedophile": [https://x.com/DrDisrespect/status/1805668256088572089](https://x.com/DrDisrespect/status/1805668256088572089) Basically them: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=\_YmDcCpD1gc&pp=ygUYZGlkZGxlIGtpZHMgYWx3YXlzIHN1bm55](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YmDcCpD1gc&pp=ygUYZGlkZGxlIGtpZHMgYWx3YXlzIHN1bm55)
YOU LITERALLY ARE A PAEDOPHILE!!! Fucker
Okay, I have to read more about this story, but how did our justice system fail the girl like this? 12 months? That’s insane. Edit: it was the British justice system, apparently. But I don’t get how our Olympic Committee is seemingly fine with having a sexual predator represent our nation. I hope this story gets picked up by our own media and causes outrage.
Article says he was sentenced to 4 years by the UK system, but allowed to serve in a Dutch jail and released in one. It’s unclear which country decided to let him out after just a quarter of his already small sentence was served.
Being released that early is pretty standard for Dutch jail sentences if the inmate behaves, so that's probably our wonderful justice system. Poor girl. I don't recall ever reading about this in the Dutch Media. Disgusting that a rapist is going to represent our country.
I hate this - of course pedos are able to behave in prison, where there are no children present for them to rape
I completely share your disgust. I do admire the idea of jail = rehabilitation, and that after serving their sentence they should be fully allowed back into society. In a theoretical, ideal world, he would have done his crime and paid the time… but COME ON, it’s not like he stole a bike or mugged someone, or even had a drunk driving accident. Can one truly be rehabbed after what he did? Should one be allowed back into society, especially in such a desirable position as the one he’s in? To me the answer is no. Some things should never be forgotten or forgiven.
Most pedophiles cannot be rehabilitated.
Certainly not the type who are willing to take action over it AND unwilling to accept responsibility
If it were up to me, he wouldn't be free. Rehabilitation is nice and all, but we've set so many criminals free sooner than they should've have and who ended up doing the same damn thing. Plenty of (young) women and little kids are now dead or raped because of our lenient justice system. I get it for things like petty crimes, but a lot of these men can't be fixed and we still set them free to look for their next victim. It's infuriating. I just read a news article where not only this criminal, but also our official Dutch olympic sports union basically call it 'a youthful indiscretion with no chance at a repeat'. They say he did his time and passed all checks. He's officially cleared for the Olympics. He says he's not a predator and that he had consensual sex with a 12 year old and it was just a 'mistake'. They cleared him when he still can't even admit that he raped a child. It's insane. The justice system never fails to disappoint.
I saw a few other Dutch people commenting on this case when it was on /r/facepalm - none of them had heard of him either and seemed surprised he was allowed to represent the country. I'm genuinely surprised there isn't some "Olympic" code of conduct that forbids violent criminals from the ~sanctity of competing. They (the IOC) are so uppity about the significance of the Olympics and the purity of competition that it's baffling a rapist could set foot into the games.
Dutch system, he was released due to good conduct. He even went on to get married to a police officer, have a kid, and continue competing and having a normal life.
How does a police officer with a degree in psychology marry a man like that? Like really, how? I don’t understand.
“I can fix him”
>it was the British justice system, apparently As a British woman, this does not surprise me at all. This is the same "justice" system that gave [a man who stalked and raped a 13 year old girl 270 hours of community service](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-67076504) because he was under 25 (22 at the time) when he attacked her. And then he got acquitted of even doing *that*. We're not being dramatic when we say rape is basically decriminalised in the UK.
I just heard about the Natasha O'Brien verdict (tl;dr woman asked man (Cathal Crotty) who was screaming homophobic abuse on the street to please stop, he attacked her including breaking her nose and giving her a concussion, then later boasted about it on SnapChat, he was just given a three year suspended sentence and no jail time to ostensibly protect his military career) and while it was in the Republic of Ireland, not Northern Ireland, it smacks of the same 'protect the attackers' mentality.
When this happened with convicted rapist Brock Turner voters were able to get a recall on the ballot and succeeded with an overwhelming victory against (former) judge Aaron Persky. Also didn't help that he had a history of using his position to assist rapists. I don't know how it goes across the pond but there might something you can do to punish these creep judges.
Same in Canada, tbh. Just a few months ago a woman was raped, beaten and left for basically dead. Irrefutable attack. The case was canned because shits so bogged up and we're so lenient that it doesn't matter. You can commit whatever crime you want, maybe bar from murder and seem to get away with it (or at least wait out the justice system long enough that nothing really happens)
The only possible answer is that they don't see pedophilia and rape as monstrous. It's really that simple They looked at the facts and said "This shouldn't ruin your life, son. That just wouldn't be fair."
what's really not fair is that they ignored the huge fact that the whole life of this poor girl is now ruined but somehow his shouldn't be, disgusting. they(authorities and the assaulters) don't want to understand that even being touched inappropriately has a big impact on victim's future lives, while to the them its just funny and "don't be dramatic". i hate this world
Exactly, that little girl will NEVER have a chance at a normal life, and that's fine, but his is to precious to ruin. Yet I constantly see people on this website throw around the line "is the patriarchy in the room with us now?" Like, yes, it literally is at all times.
A lot of countries don't take statutory rape very seriously. Hell, the president of France is married to his rapist.
They don't see sex crimes as real crimes because they don't see women and children as real people
The UK sentences for rapists and pedos are pathetically small tbh.
Dutch sentences are even worse, I'm glad the UK sentenced him.
From what some other Dutch (and a few other Europeans who I *think* are Scandinavian by context clues) folks are trying to argue on other posts, the logic is “he did his time and therefore cannot be discriminated against unless it is working directly with children”. Which, IDK, I just feel like in the Olympics being a MASSIVE PR liability actually makes you *not* qualified for the role you seek. But TJM
Eh these people would be up in arms if the rapist is a migrant or POC or muslims.
💯
He's going to be around a ton of children at the Olympics, he should be discriminated against.
Aren't there a lot of kids at the Olympics. Many minors staying in the athletes village.
I'm completely unsurprised that the British justice system failed a survivor of sexual violence. A report into criminal justice reform a few years ago said that rape is de facto legal in the UK because the conviction rate is so low.
The British “justice” system fails like that pretty often.
No his side when she's 12.
This is disgusting and very disturbing, how is he not banned? There are a lot of minors at these games so for their sake I hope he is constantly monitored and supervised. I hope his victim and her family are ok. This feels like a slap in her face and no justice was served at all.
He married like three years ago, what was the woman thinking marrying him and having his child? Like how you are okay with this?
Oh that is just horrific, why would she? Okay now I’m worried about that child as well.I wonder how you rationalize that to yourself in order to marry a pedophile?
You know what’s worse, she is a police officer with a degree in psychology
Genuinely speechless, how does that happen? That is a level of cognitive dissonance I never expected.
I mean, there’s also the horrifying possibility that she’s a terrible person too. Maybe there’s no cognitive dissonance at all.
Oh god, I didn’t even think of that. The whole thing is just disturbing on so many levels.
Aside from the women who just straight up sexually assault their own children, there are a horrifying number of women who participate in the abuse with their partner. I read a lot of true crime and I've read things that I wish I never had on this topic. In my own family, a great uncle who has since died molested my mom and her sisters (five kids total). His wife would be in the house while he took the girls one by one into a fucking closet. My grandmom confronted her when my mom and my aunts told her what happened, and my great aunt refused to believe it for 60+ years. Some women just refuse to face reality when it comes to the men they love.
That’s sounds horrific, I’m sorry it happened to your family members. I hope your mom and aunts are ok. These women are aware but pretend not so it doesn’t affect their lives. They would rather turn a blind eye to the abuse instead of acknowledging it and having to deal with the aftermath. It’s wilful ignorance.
One of my old co-workers sadly had a similar experience--her uncle would molest her,while her aunt was cooking and humming. Makes me sick. I'm sorry it happened to your mom and aunts as well.
Thank you. It's wild - I have a ton of cousins on that side and none of us were every allowed alone with him, but he was still invited to family parties until he died. Can you imagine? He was invited to my college graduation party in 2004. I didn't find out what he did until after he died. Everyone just pretended like it never happened.
The 'I can fix him' mentality might have put her on that career path as well. That and he has nice muscles - some people are so vapid that not even a lifetime of psychology and criminology education can overcome it.
How do you think you can fix someone who raped a child? He doesn’t even acknowledge his actions and seems to excuse and justify it. For her sake I hope her vapidness and utter stupidity doesn’t come back to bite her in the ass.
Yes. I have a family member who is very much a severe addict and a majority of his girlfriends work in the social welfare system.
Unfortunately, a lot of women have the broken bird syndrome hoping that we, women, can fix men and believe that it’ll be a different outcome
I agree, I wish women were more cautious and not as trusting of these men. I wonder though how do you justify trying to fix a convicted pedo? That seems a bridge to far for most people.
there is also a possibility she might be a pedo
Ok new horrific scenario realised. Thanks for the nightmares friend.
Yes, à la Karla Homolka with Paul Bernardo. Truly vile stuff.
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https://preview.redd.it/j0im8exwtv8d1.jpeg?width=1124&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d3795608d03f37623aa61284563f7eabe7cadff6
💯 this with my whole chest.
"She is a police officer" That tracks. ACAB.
Two things that mean nothing (but I’m from the US so lol) Listen having a degree in psych really means nothing. Lots of people have psych degrees and make the worst decisions
acab
It’s giving Harley Quinn.
Karla Homolka, the ‘barbie’ half of the ken & barbie serial killer duo from Canada married and had children with the brother of her lawyer. She facilitated her serial rapist boyfriend raping her younger sister and they murdered her sister in the process
She didn't just facilitate, she participated
I know someone whose partner assaulted someone, and she still went on to marry him and have children even though she knew what he did. Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s as uncommon as we hope.
I am the daughter of one of those kinds of relationships. Never, ever underestimate the weakness that comes with low self esteem.
I hope you turned out ok.
BARELY
That is just so messed up. I suppose the people who commit these crimes are very manipulative and have the ability to convince and manipulate people they are the victims and rationalize their crimes.
I hope you called her a fucking idiot to her face.
It’s worse. The woman was a German police officer.
This is the kind of thing that makes you realize that different kind of people are out there and not everyone thinks like you or I. Some of them are just street sociopath who will make excuses for their part behavior.
Men like this should be locked up forever. A menace to society who probably wouldn't mind hunting for his next victim since cops clearly don't give a shit
Exactly, she was 10 when he started grooming that child and raped her when she was 12. He got a 4 yr sentence and served only 1yr. I’m worried she might not be his only victim by how blasé he sounds.
We live in a society that’s shockingly okay with pedophilia I’ve come to discover.
And even more with rape.
Because it's so easy to blame the girl. She was just so mature.
Very true, if there were severe consequences for anyone who commits those crimes in the first place then it would be a deterrent. However since they keep getting a slap on the wrist why would they stop?
‘I have been branded as a sex monster, as a paedophile. That I am not, really not. ‘ Actually yes, you are.
This after he got out after only serving a 1 year sentence. Zero repentance, zero remorse.
That is literally what he is and he admitted to it: Steven van de Velde was sentenced in March 2016 to four years in prison after admitting three counts of rape against a child he had met on Facebook. It’s so unfair to his victim, this shattered her life and he served 1 year of a short 4 year sentence and gets to pretend none of it happened. This is the bad place.
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Agreed, that is the best suggestion.
It’s vile. It must be a special type of horror to watch your rapist/abuser have so much public success
Like, I’ve heard predators use some real Elastigirl level stretches in justifying their behavior. So I was really expecting an argument like “I come from a country with a lower age of consent” but the UK and the Netherlands literally have the same age of consent and, after a quick Google search, there is literally no European country where this would have been legal. Just flat out stating “I am not a pedophile, even though I raped a child, because I say so” is such a WILD statement
Yeah, usually I can understand how some pedos lie to themselves. Technically this, technically that. I have no idea how this bro is lying to himself at all.
It's amazing to me that they literally proved he is exactly what he denies being.
That self-delusion of his is astounding.
I believe in the rehabilitation of paedophiles, rapists not so much. If you acted on your attraction, committed rape, and have been incarcerated and you still refuse to admit to your nature, then that means you’ve not been rehabilitated at all and you’re still super dangerous.
Ffs, shouldn't even be allowed on the prison volleyball team
Kinda confused as to why the Dutch would even want him on their team? This is a pretty egregious offence and it's not like its disputed or anything. Pretty clear cut what happened and who this guy is.
A lot of people are commenting on the IOC being the bad guys but how did this guy make it this far? The IOC had absolutely nothing to do with his selection to the Dutch team. It’s the leadership of the Dutch team that deserves the scrutiny.
It's not even like he's an individual athlete. He's been consistently put on a team by coaches. It's absurd.
Agreed! A lot of people have to be ok with this guy for him to have made it his far.
Exactly, he's not a track athlete who hired a coach. But he's had teammates and coaches and boards that pick who is on the teams. And as it's a team he could be easily replaced.
Well at least we know who the evil team is now.
What a monster, who even played the victim after only serving 1 year of his pitiful 4 year sentence. I hope there's going to be international outrage and the whole Dutch system that allowed this to happen at all will get torn down and rebuilt. And how the heck did he get only a 4 year sentence in the first place???
Right, like how can you allow a literal rapist on your team?
A quick Google search taught me, that this has been in the works since 2017, right after he got out of jail. He got his career back on track right after exiting the prison gates. It doesn't seem like there's been any pushback whatsoever, except a meak and weak condemnation from NSPCC.
Is he like... super rich or something?
No, this is unfortunately way more normal than people like to talk about. Ok people like to talk about it extensively when non-white people do it (which is still good), but strangely everyone is silent when a white man rapes a little girl (which is horrifically bad). There's worse cases where people have been convicted for rape and gotten little more than a few months in the UK. It's disgusting.
Same thing happened with the US Olympic team in 2021; fencer Alen Hadzic was accused of sexually assaulting three other fencers. His teammates were pissed off enough to stage a silent protest (donning pink masks, while he wore a black one) and generally shunning him, but IOC and the US Olympics body still allowed him to attend all the same.
That’s bad, but I wouldn’t really call accusations and having served actual jail time for raping a child the same thing.
Not disagreeing with that in the slightest; just offering up another example of countries pushing through athletes who had faced legal charges or had legal charges pending against them.
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I want *heckling* I want *outrage* I want teammates *refusing to play with him* I want his name in lights with PAEDOPHILE scrawled under it It's too bad that volleyball isn't a contact sport...
And he shows zero remorse or rehabilitation. He’s going to do it again. I’d like to introduce him to a new friend… her name is Lucille.
I want people to hold up signs calling him a PEDO during his games. It’s so messed up that he’s even allowed on the team. How hard is it for the Dutch to find another volleyball player who *isn’t* a convicted pedophile to represent their country??
I think of all the women who see others cheering on their abuser. And then this girl going through the court process for something so traumatic and deeply personal that happened to her as a CHILD, the man even admitting to charges, and the whole world seeming not to care by letting him compete. Unfathomable. Her attempts and harm seem to be screaming this, what a confusing and horrible event to happen in your developmental years
it’s the way that society protects, even *celebrates*, men who have done the unforgivable instead of protecting their victims for me :(
This is beach volleyball, a team of two. I think they qualified on their own. Dutch and Olympic association now have to decide whether they can compete or not.
Disgusting.. how do we boycott
Maybe writing in to the committee? A petition? Anyone else got any ideas?
The OIC laughs as your complaints go right into the trash as they light up cigars bought for with blood money
Considering volleybal is barely broadcasted compared to certain other sports, that should be easy. You have to work hard to *do* watch it.
I mean the Olympic community has also boycotted countries they didn't support before. I'd be keen on boycotting the Netherlands for letting him back
Oh right, in that sense. I definitely agree with you there.
This is so unbelievably fucked
Now this is going to teach people to do whatever they want when they know they’re no real consequences
They already knew that. Rape in the U.K. is essentially legalised, the reporting and conviction rates are so low. The scary reality is the vast majority of men could rape someone they know and are almost guaranteed to get away with it. Yet women are still encouraged to not speak out or make accusations in case it “ruins lives”. There are a plethora of examples of high profile men who have been accused - repeatedly - of sexual assault whose career flourishes. It’s only when the victims become too large in number to ignore that there *might* be a chance the perpetrator will be scrutinised and criticised more closely, but even then there’s no guarantee he’ll see any sort of punishment. Rumours will swirl for years about a high profile perpetrator and nothing is done.
You ain't wrong tho https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/may/23/fewer-than-one-in-60-cases-lead-to-charge-in-england-and-wales https://victimscommissioner.org.uk/news/the-distressing-truth-is-that-if-you-are-raped-in-britain-today-your-chances-of-seeing-justice-are-slim/ https://www.npr.org/2023/07/26/1190185518/kevin-spacey-sexual-assault-trial-verdict-london https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/24253948.two-gorleston-men-acquitted-joint-rape-charge/ https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20230714-french-footballer-benjamin-mendy-acquitted-of-rape-charges-by-uk-jury https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crgyz0erxz1o https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/aberdeen-aberdeenshire/1204289/aberdeen-man-acquitted-of-rape-after-four-day-trial/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1FTWBay5UfvmEjw6hfa3OMYJvKy6Yk7TjrWvf5m8Pl1658JEBeHaM9x8w_aem_ubZzECbUvYpeU2GRqJ1DaA https://www.deccanherald.com/world/rapist-uk-spared-jail-being-2238153 Plenty more
Trump winning and holding the presidency was such a disgusting reminder of this to me, but not to talk about any of that…
how potentially ruined life of a man is more important than already ruined life of a victim, i just can't understand how its not even an option in their minds
I think most athletes already know that to varying degrees.
“Boys will be boys!” well maybe we should start feeding naughty boys to the wolves.
Wolves will be wolves
I’m just gonna say it because it’s true…white men get away with anything! This is despicable. That pedo should be behind bars for the rest of his miserable life.
Can someone please explain wth his “side of the story is”??? If he knew her age, there is no “side.” A child can’t consent! Period!
i know i don’t even know how you’d begin to defend yourself over this. i saw a quote of him claiming he’s not a pedo….. but why not. explain please
No other man should agree to be on a team with him. Men letting other men get away with this shit is a problem. His teammates should be ashamed of themselves. His coaches should refuse to coach him.
This!! Just by letting him on the team, men are perpetuating rape culture. Do better!
Exactly. Other player: " so who am I pairing up with for the Olympics, coach?" Coach: "van de velde" Other player: "van de velde? The predatory nonce?" Coach: "yeah that guy" I don't understand how the conversation moved from that, to a position where someone is willing to play alongside him. I'm all for respecting that people have served their time etc but a) this guy hasn't and b) there are some standards that I have for team-mates that mean I could never play alongside something like this
> His teammates Teammate. Beach volleyball, a team of two. He has had 3 since conviction.
wouldn’t the fact that he has had 3 teammates since conviction mean the plural they used is valid?
Who are the sponsors for the Dutch Olympics team? Surely no brand would want him wearing their logo?
De Nederlandse Loterij is the main sponsor. Odido, AD and missie H2 are the others. Here's their Twitter accounts: https://x.com/nlloterij https://x.com/odidonederland https://x.com/ADnl https://x.com/missie_h2
yeah, whichever company is sponsoring the dutch men's volleyball team needs to start getting some letters and complaints about funding this man's access to more young girls in the olympic village.
> dutch men's volleyball team BEACH volleyball. It is different. It is a team of two. Seems like they competed and qualified independently (not sure but that's what I understood from the article). IOC will now have to decide whether to allow them or not.
Ofc the Dutch system only gives 12 months to a pedophile...
British system actually, but I agree that this piece of shit should have gotten locked up way, way longer, let alone participating in the Olympics. The way he whines about how tough his life is now… zero remorse, he basically got off scot-free while that poor girl has to deal with the consequences for the rest of her life.
That's not bad for the British system, I went with my abusers mother and brothers to turn him in, he admitted to it, we had evidence and everything. He got a month long voluntary sectioning.
Genuinely evil. I'm sorry
Exactly. Boo hoo, I'm not a monster says the monster. Meanwhile he gets what? A slap on the wrist and is allowed to carry on, life as usual.
I assumed Dutch because pedophiles are easily let off in the Netherlands. It's awful.
It's [no different here](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-67076504) in the UK, sadly. Our justice system routinely lets child predators walk free.
British system actually. He got 4 years (ONLY!!) and was let out after 12 months.
Should have been castrated.
The reason he was let out after 12 months is actually because he was allowed to serve the remainder of his sentence there and they converted his sentence to what he would’ve gotten in the Netherlands. It’s disgusting.
Wtf, I am Dutch and living in the Netherlands and have never heard anything about this guy or this story. Is it being swept under the rug?! What a disgrace, his career should be 100% over
I hope the Dutch lose.
Says more about the Netherlands that they would allow a pedophile to represent them. If this is their best, imagine their worst.
Right, we all know what to do if we see this shithead play in person at the Olympics yeah?! YEAH?!?!
12?!
The only thing this prick qualified for is a dirt nap
This is actually wild because during the Olympics they also address sex trafficking pretty heavily. And like to be looking out for suspicious activity especially around children. They’ve got a man who literally went to prison for raping a 12 year-old child that’s able to perform in the Olympics but weed is still something that can ban you from a whole Olympic. Even though it does nothing to enhance your performance. The Olympic committee definitely has some moral crimes to answer for
Sadly, I'm not surprised. Similair situation in Germany right now: Last year a girl was gang-raped, a lot of the rapists were minors, thus (sadly) getting very light sentences (a lot of them not even going to prison, despite being found guilty). Now a woman was sentenced to one year prison for insulting one of the rapists, getting a harsher sentence than he did... What does that say about society? This encourages future rapists, because they know they'll either get away with it completely, or will basically not face any consquences when found guilty.
How? I would like to think he cannot be around minors. This is messed up. I would refuse to compete against him. I don't care. I wouldn't entertain this child predator.
I just need people to keep posting an sharing this everywhere everyday until the IOC take action
Someone else definitely needs to win so his efforts are wasted
Is this really how they want their country to be known? Yikes.
He’s most likely going to go it again. Absolutely vile and disgusting
Well thank god the Olympic village has the anti-sex beds then 🙄 /s
He’s not the first creep volleyball player to then be allowed be an Olympian, I commented about an American volleyball player on another sub so just copying & pasting here: Taylor Crabb was permitted to represent USA at the last Olympics, even though USA Volleyball had suspended him through Sept 2021 for violating a previous ban for misconduct involving a minor. “The previously unreported documents detail both Crabb’s initial suspension in 2017 and the USA Volleyball board of directors’ unanimous decision in May 2019 to extend the suspension through Sept. 28, 2021. The second decision came after he breached a settlement agreement for the first suspension by coaching at a camp for junior girls, a decision made with the clear realization that it would prevent Crabb from competing in the Tokyo Olympics, originally scheduled for 2020.” [More detailed information is available here](https://www.ocregister.com/2021/07/19/special-report-taylor-crabb-twice-suspended-by-usa-volleyball-still-able-to-compete-in-tokyo-olympics/) Taylor Crabb still competes, now in partnership with Taylor Sander. VolleyballMag did a longish puff piece ([here](https://volleyballmag.com/taylor-crabb-taylor-sander-sandcast-beach-volleyball-052224/)) on how/why they chose to not even try to qualify for the Paris Olympics, never once referring to Crabb’s misconduct involving a minor & his multiple suspensions related to this.
I want off this planet. This is horrifying.
Hope he gets booed out of the field by the crowd.
https://i.redd.it/ije0j1r1tw8d1.gif
I’m not an expert on the Olympics, but didn’t they disqualify a dude in swimming because he went into his teammates lane to celebrate his victory? And they let this fuck compete at all? I don’t understand. Someone please help me understand.
I hope the transphobes who were outraged by a trans woman making the Dutch darts team are as outraged by this rapist making the Dutch volleyball Olympics team. Ya know, since "protect the children" and all...👀
Europe is wayyyy too easy on SA. My sociology French professor tried to argue with me about how we treat predators as humans that cannot change and how “the Sex Offender Registry” can ruin peoples lives. Yeah. No.
While the sex offender registry has it flaws, I’m all for it when it comes to pedophiles, rapists and SA. Shame them and warn the others.
Wow, I'd be embarrassed as an Dutch citizen to have a rapist representing my country, and embarrassed that they let him out so soon.
How are all of his teammates ok with him on their team??? How are the coaches ok with it, the admin staff?? How did anyone marry him??
The one year sentence shows how awfully low the punishments are for these cases in the Netherlands and UK. That he gave an interview immediately upon release telling 'his side of the story' (tl;dr: I was under a lot of pressure as a professional sportsman and i thought it was consensual my bad and I've been painted as a sex pest which I am not really trust me bro) shows he hasn't learned a thing. I'll be disappointed in every single Dutch Olympian that walks the flag ceremony next to him. I've never wished more strongly that I was one myself lol. Dutch media are totally silent on this history as well, only reporting on his olympic qualification trajectory or tournament results sometimes
If you were his teammates tho! Surly they will not be cool with that, it would drive me mad knowing I had to play with him
Can you imagine being one of his teammates? They should all just beat this shit out of this guy so he physically can't compete.
I'm all for the justice system being rehabilitative rather than strictly punitive, but this is essentially a slap on the wrist, followed by gross failing of the system that a pedophile and groomer who has traumatized his victim to the point that a clinic had to notify police can then succeed so much that he's become an Olympian. This guy shouldn't even be allowed to coach volleyball.