Robert M. must undergo TBS (compulsory treatment order) for at least two more years. That is what the court in Amsterdam decided on Monday. He was convicted in 2014 for abusing dozens of young children at a daycare center.
The now 41-year-old M. was irrevocably sentenced in 2014 to nearly nineteen years in prison in the Amsterdam sex abuse case. In addition, he was given a TBS order with compulsory detention. His TBS treatment only began in 2023 and is still in the first phase.
In the case of TBS, a judge decides every two years whether the measure will be extended. In doing so, he receives advice from behavioral experts from the clinic. During the first extension hearing, the Public Prosecution Service demanded a two-year extension on Monday. The court agreed.
The Amsterdam sex abuse case caused much public revulsion at the time and was followed nationwide. M. abused children at the daycare center where he worked and in homes where he babysat. He also distributed images made in the process to others.
In 67 cases, abuse by M. could be legally proven. It involved babies and toddlers, up to 2.5 years old. An earlier report showed that it was very serious, gross abuse. In a number of cases, M. invited other men to abuse a child with him.
M., who appeared in the courtroom wearing a black wig, said he is being threatened in the clinic where he is staying. For safety reasons, the court does not name the location of the clinic. According to the public prosecutor, it will be a long time before M. can return to society. Experts emphasize that he has a pedophilic disorder and the chance of recurrence is high. M. has no objection to the extension.