A man appears in court on charges of assaulting 31 girls: "Their lives have changed in an irreparable way"
Mils van B., 46, from Barendrecht, appeared in court on Monday on charges of sexually assaulting 31 girls aged between nine and twelve. The court has allocated six days to hear the case, marking the start of sessions for one of the largest sexual assault cases in the region.
Van B. is accused of physical and sexual assault against 18 girls, and committing other crimes against 13 additional girls between January 2023 and September 2024. Most of the assaults occurred at a campsite in Hoeven, Brabant, where he was renting a seasonal place, and in his hometown of Barendrecht. Many of the victims were reportedly unaware of the assaults because they were asleep or appeared to have been drugged.
Some victims were invited to stay with Van B.'s children, meaning that some families knew him from the camp. Authorities first discovered the crimes in September 2024, after a complaint was filed and Van B. was arrested, initially confessing to assaulting 19 children. Subsequent investigations revealed a much larger number of crimes.
The police found videos of the assault, including materials concerning 13 other girls. Investigators also discovered images of child exploitation that Van B. did not film himself. He now faces 37 separate charges. Experts at the Pieter Baan Center diagnosed Van B. with hypersexuality, child molestation disorder, borderline personality disorder, and autism spectrum disorder, noting that these factors may reduce his legal responsibility.
The court has allocated six days to hear the case. More than twenty pairs of parents, representing 29 out of 31 families, will benefit from their right to testify. A spokesperson for Namens De Familie confirmed the devastating impact of the case: "Some children are receiving psychological treatment, some parents are suffering from exhaustion, and the lives of all the children have changed irreparably." The ruling is expected to be issued on March 3.