The court in Arnhem sentenced Ahmet Y. from Amersfoort on Tuesday to four years in prison and compulsory psychiatric treatment (tbs). The 54-year-old Y. kidnapped and abused a one-and-a-half-year-old child in Barneveld in August last year.
“It is a nightmare for every parent: waking up and discovering that your child has disappeared and been taken away by someone else,” the judge said. “It is unimaginable how traumatic this has been for the parents.”
On August 10 last year, around 5:00 AM, Y. broke into a house and took the boy from his bed and took him away. The parents only discovered that their son was missing at 7:45 AM. Images from the video doorbell showed that their child had been taken away by an unknown man. Around 8:30 AM, the father found his son back on the street, in the arms of the suspect.
Y. denied during his trial that he had sexually abused the child, but immediately after his arrest he had admitted the sexual acts to the police and the investigating judge. The court finds these initial statements reliable. Experts also state that in the months following the abduction, the toddler exhibited anxious behavior, which is common in children of this age who have been victims of a sexual offense.
Experts conclude that Y. has disorders and needs to be treated for a long time to prevent recurrence. The court accepts the advice of the psychologist and the psychiatrist.
The court followed the Public Prosecution Service’s demand, but rejected the requested area ban for the municipality of Barneveld. However, Y. was given a five-year ban on contact with the family.