r/nottheonion • u/DerangedUnicorn27 • 4d ago

Convicted child rapist qualifies for Olympics

https://www.newsweek.com/steven-van-de-velde-dutch-beach-volleyball-olympics-1918442
19.2k Upvotes

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u/sunshine10zeros 4d ago

Supposedly groomed her for two years, meaning it started at 10 years old… wtffffffff

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u/MIdtownBrown68 4d ago

The Netherlands—not big on long prison sentences. They’re more about rehabilitation.

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u/sunshine10zeros 4d ago

He doesn’t seem very sorry for his actions.

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u/groveborn 4d ago

Rehab isn't about making people sorry it's about keeping them from reoffending.

I'm not clear how to stop a pedophile from reoffending. Well, I mean, nonviolently.

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u/sunshine10zeros 4d ago

Usually the first step in rehab is admitting you have a problem? Or caused damage. He hasn’t or doesn’t take any personal accountability. And even didn’t pay the full sentence of 4 years .

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u/YoungLadHuckleberry 3d ago edited 3d ago

I hate ridiculous leniency like this with complete monsters in some European prisons

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u/Paranoid_Neckazoid 3d ago

I hate everything about the American criminal system. That clearly doesn't work either.

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u/Abeneezer 3d ago

In fact it is a lot worse and has always been.

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u/WouldYouPleaseKindly 2d ago

There is a balance. Honestly, the Netherlands does a lot of great things when it comes to rehabilitating criminals... but maybe they should keep the violent or sexual offenders away from innocent people a bit longer. The American system isn't about justice. It isn't even about punishment. It is about cashing in on government contracts, and then extracting free labor from the prisoners, while skimping on keeping them healthy (including mental health) because money.

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u/Paranoid_Neckazoid 2d ago

I dont disagree with you at all. You are completely correct.

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u/Weird_Influence1964 3d ago

They have several different systems in the US. One for whites, one for blacks and another one for the rich and powerful.

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u/[deleted] 3d ago

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u/silenthanjorbs 3d ago

Yeah better to slap the wrists of child rapists

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u/mixile 3d ago

They have some of the lowest reoffense rates and lowest incarceration rates in the world. What's more important: reducing crime or getting retribution?

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u/rollin340 3d ago

The brain understands that the former is crucial for the progress of society, but the heart doesn't act on logic. I understand both points completely. This is simply the case of logical pragmatism winning out over collective emotions.

You don't have to like it, but if it stops future crimes, then it works. But man I hope he at least gets kidney stones or something. :X

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u/gooseelee 3d ago

My logical brain tells me yeah, rehabilitate, reintroduce them to society, but my heart wants him castrated and publicly hanged. It's hard for people not to get emotional when talking about some of the worst things you can do in modern society.

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u/hikerchick29 12h ago

For actual child rapists? Both. Both is good. Keep pedophiles off the streets, full stop

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u/Weird_Ad_1398 3d ago

The Netherlands has an above average recidivism rate of 47% after 2 years. What's more important: reducing crime or virtue signaling about rehabilitation?

And what the fuck kind of rehabilitation do you think a man, who meticulously plotted the grooming and rape of a child over several years, is capable of in just 1 year? A man who by all accounts doesn't even feel guilt for what he's done?

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u/kabukistar 3d ago

Where are you getting those numbers?

This study finds them with a lower recidivism rate than the US or the UK for people who were imprisoned (although higher rates for people sentenced to community service).

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u/ElderlyOogway 3d ago

Dude raped a 12 years old when her mother wasn't at home, he travelled to a different country after grooming her since she was 10, to do that. It was premeditated, planned and executed. Paraphrasing, I like Moore's point in retributivism: "it reaches a point where the monster is not the person who reacts strongly about the most depraved type of torture of innocents, but the one who is ok with it as long as it doesn't bother him no more". We should reduce crime and get retribution.

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u/sztrzask 3d ago

Cool. Except that, as the reality has shown, you can have one, not both.

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u/hikerchick29 12h ago

How the fuck is this getting downvoted? The man was an unrepentant pedophile!!!

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u/ElderlyOogway 12h ago

Truth hurts! And the next post on this same sub on the same topic (which has more upvotes) has very favorable views to the truth

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u/lostmonkey70 3d ago

I don't think it had anything to do with the prison sentence. I think the issue here is that he is able to go into the Olympics despite like the moral clauses they have.

Edit: uh, just saw he only did one year instead of four so uh... Maybe he also needed some more prison time.

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u/Low-Union6249 2d ago

That’s a good distinction

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u/fjgwey 3d ago

As opposed to the US, known for its low crime and recidivism rates.... LMAOOOO

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u/tankpuss 3d ago

Would you rather have revenge or someone who didn't do it again?

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u/SnowHurtsMeFace 3d ago

But is there really a way to "fix" a pedophile? Like I get not wanting to turn a person who does petty theft into a murderer. Makes sense. But child rapist just kind of seems like one of those should never walk free again type crimes.

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u/tankpuss 3d ago

Locking someone up for the rest of their lives is a good investment as long as it's for the public good, be they a thief or much worse. But as soon as we're reasonably sure they can coexist with society, then keeping them locked up is only revenge rather than rehabilitation. I agree we (probably) can't fix someone's predilections, but we can show them how not to act on them.

Norway has a 20% recidivism rate (compared to 66% in the US) I would be shocked if they were able to be reprogrammed within a year, but they certainly have had their successes.

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u/SnowHurtsMeFace 3d ago

Locking someone up for the rest of their lives is a good investment as long as it's for the public good, be they a thief or much worse.

I don't agree with this. Locking someone up for life should be reserved for the most heinous of crimes.

But as soon as we're reasonably sure they can coexist with society, then keeping them locked up is only revenge rather than rehabilitation.

For a limited scope of crimes, I'm okay with the continued incarceration being punishment and still providing rehabilitation, I don't think child rapists ever deserve forgiveness, even if they are genuinely remorseful and would never touch a kid again. They ruined someone for life, they don't get a free pass.

Most crimes should have a sole focus of rehabilitation, as eventually the people we put in jail/prison will walk the streets again. Makes sense. But there are a few that no matter what, they should never be forgiven.

Norway has a 20% recidivism rate (compared to 66% in the US) I would be shocked if they were able to be reprogrammed within a year, but they certainly have had their successes.

Yes, but this is for all crimes, not specifically child rapist.

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u/Chromotron 3d ago

Would you be okay with preventively incarcerating people with pedophile tendencies and thoughts, even if they never acted on it? That would obviously push them even more into hiding and make any treatment before rape happens essentially impossible. And that's even before we open the full can of worms that is thought-crime.

Ideally a convicted but released (former) criminal is in a similar position: they have done wrong, have paid the price and also gotten treatment including strategies to cope. So the remaining question is: how high should the consequences for the rest of their existence be, even if they never re-offend?

And obviously there should be some monitoring to make sure they don't get back to "old habits", to put it mildly. Many countries require regular visits to a therapist.

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u/SnowHurtsMeFace 3d ago

Would you be okay with preventively incarcerating people with pedophile tendencies and thoughts, even if they never acted on it?

No.

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u/RevolutionaryEye9382 3d ago

Not much better for similar crimes in America, that’s for sure.

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u/Zealousideal_Shop446 3d ago

Depends on who and what it is. Finland has an amazing track record of not punishing 25 and under males excessively for violent crimes and the % that reoffend is low.

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u/fascistsarelosers 3d ago

He hasn’t or doesn’t take any personal accountability.

His statements in the article you are commenting on show that he does.

Why the fuck are you lying?

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u/Hideous4our 4d ago

Some obsessions don’t go away this is one of them

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u/syizm 4d ago

I'm not saying you're wrong but how do you know?

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u/ACoconutInLondon 4d ago

This is what was reported:

Upon his release, Van de Velde reportedly said: "I have been branded as a sex monster, as a paedophile. That I am not, really not."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-39292039

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u/2canbehumble 3d ago

He’s a convicted p. Without remorse, without serving his sentence and now representing his country. Civilization has well and truly broken down. Karma where are you?

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u/SoldierOf4Chan 3d ago

We censoring "pedophile" now?

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u/be_kind_n_hurt_nazis 4d ago

I suppose on one level it's that we can't objectively measure whether it has gone away or not. We can know what they say, and sometimes know if they pursue or reoffend. But we cannot know if they are still attracted to children.

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u/littlebobbytables9 3d ago

If they don't reoffend who gives a fuck

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u/be_kind_n_hurt_nazis 3d ago

In this context, because you don't know if they're re-offending unless they get caught again.

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u/Intrepid-Reading6504 3d ago

Thought experiments are great for this. Imagine you lived in a society where attraction to adults was viewed the same way we view pedophilia. Would any sort of punishment or societal condemnation change your urges? Mine would remain the same. 

 We can assume pedos are similar to us but reversed

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u/IdentifiableBurden 3d ago

That's not a good assumption, as a victim of pedophilia who has done a lot of both research and therapy on the subject. 

A better analogy, at least in the types of cases I'm familiar with, would be a short-circuit. There's something in the sexual attraction part of the brain that got crosswired with the childish empathy-seeking part of the brain, most often (though not always) due to being molested as a child themselves. Adult pedophiles often honestly believe that the child is initiating the relationship because their perception of attraction and human contact is damaged or impaired. 

There are also examples that arise more out of sexual frustration and a lack of inhibition, or of power-assertion over the vulnerable, both of which often lead to cases like teenagers molesting younger family members. Less common in adults who have other options.

I can't speak to this individual but I do believe it's possible for someone to heal that damage and develop a healthy differentiation between sexual attraction and feelings of connection/protection. Not everyone is capable of that healing nor does everyone want to heal from it, and those are the ones who should be locked up. But without being a clinician deeply invested in the individual, we can't know from the outside.

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u/littlebobbytables9 3d ago

Sometimes I feel the urge to strangle a coworker but I've yet to actually do it

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u/2canbehumble 3d ago

There’s always a risk.

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u/IdentifiableBurden 3d ago

That risk is present in every human, prior offender or not.

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u/Vessix 4d ago edited 3d ago

As someone who's worked as a rehab provider let me explain. Tons of people have urges to do things we consider bad. Some awful, some just weird, some harmful to just themselves. It isn't about making those urges go away, it's about helping them learn why the urges are wrong/harmful (if they are, E.G. pica isn't necessarily "wrong" just not healthy), and helping them recognize what will be necessary in their lives to keep themselves and others safe in society. Sometimes they are unwilling to take those steps and their urge involves hurting others, in which case- DOC it is.

Edit for clarity: DOC = prison

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u/Smooth-Spot-9155 3d ago

Finally someone reasonable. Prison should be a LAST resort when efforts to rehabilitate have failed or are not possible. We need more court mandated therapy and less court mandated incarceration.

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u/TransendingGaming 3d ago

You would be hard pressed to find an American that supports rehabilitation for pedophiles when I guarantee a lot of them would rather say “give him the medicine Parabellum 9mm”. (I’m not agreeing with it, but if a politician tried to do rehabilitation punishment instead of retribution on a convicted pedophile, there would be outrage!)

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u/de_matkalainen 4d ago

Very true, it doesn't go away. However treatment for pedophiles is surprisingly successful.

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u/Hideous4our 4d ago

So you’d be comfortable with a known “rehabilitated” pedo living next door or down the street from you and your kids? Just sayin

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u/de_matkalainen 4d ago

Yeah, that's EXACTLY what I said.

Give me a break.

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u/Interesting_Walk_747 3d ago

Yes it does happen and rehabilitation is a thing for sex offenders. It involves establishing exactly what was wrong with their actions and how much harm its caused to others. People who mess with kids that way are evil and shouldn't be trusted around children but if youre an adult and actually raised your children to recognize unsafe and dangerous situations you've got very little to fear from an actual rehabilitated sex offender.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/This-How-We-Stay-Safe/dp/0241502675/ref=zg_bs_g_15512172031_d_sccl_4/258-5856532-7506214?psc=1 the fact I know this exists as a childless person shouldn't deter you from reading it yourself, sharing it with friends and family and just not being a fucking moron. The vast majority of child abuse comes from family, family friends (ever been insistently asked to drop your kids off at a friends/family place for several hours?) and parents.

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u/hey_vic 2d ago

If he has been rehabilitated then he doesn't have a problem.

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u/Bloodyjorts 3d ago

Well, I am sure going to the human sex trafficking (including of children) hub that is any Olympic games, is the IDEAL situation for a relatively recent child rapist to find himself in. Especially one who never admitted wrong-doing or harm.

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u/ricker182 4d ago

Pretty easy to not reoffend if you're put in prison with no kids around.

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u/mog_knight 3d ago

One of the core tenets of rehab is to admit you have a problem. Which acknowledges remorse.

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u/galactictock 1d ago

Exactly. If you don’t feel remorse, then you haven’t realized that you did something wrong in the first place. If you haven’t had that realization, there’s nothing stopping you from doing it again, therefore you are not rehabilitated. True rehabilitation necessitates remorse

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u/splatdyr 4d ago

Therapy and being able to talk about it without fearing for their lives.

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u/BlatantConservative 3d ago

Years of therapy, and in extreme cases (backed by a doctor) voluntary chemical castration. But that's like 1 percent of cases, usually it's stuff like trigger management and CBT.

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u/orincoro 3d ago

Snip snip.

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u/Theistus 2d ago

Woodchippers are commonly available at many rental ships

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u/Itsametoad 2d ago

By not letting exist outside of a jail cell

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u/aSignificant_Rip 1d ago

Pedophiles do not deserve non-violent, non-corporeal punishments. The legal system has failed completely in this aspect. No child predator deserves the ability to breathe.

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u/VerbingNoun413 4d ago

And if he does reoffend they'll give him another slap on the wrist. 

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u/LavishnessLogical190 3d ago

Rapists should NOT get rehab, put them down and move on bro why do we want to keep rapists part of our human DNA. Kill then all

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u/washedrope5 3d ago

A sedative and a hot knife is non-violent enough.

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u/DavidFrattenBro 3d ago

i could tell you, but the mods won’t like it and i’ll get banned.

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u/ghouldozer19 3d ago

Bullet in the head is a great place to start for paedos.

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u/Smooth-Spot-9155 3d ago

Or... therapy. Like, there are ways to prevent recidivism without murder, and plenty of other countries implement them. Vigilante justice has a place, but that place is only after all options have failed.

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u/Top_Implement1492 3d ago

And… your sister just got butt fucked. We still have more options though

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u/MiserymeetCompany 1d ago

The NSPCC said his "lack of remorse and self-pity is breathtaking".Upon his release, Van de Velde reportedly said: "I have been branded as a sex monster, as a paedophile. That I am not, really not."

This is from a 2017 article

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-39292039.amp

No remorse. Dutch "rehabilitation" is a joke. Also this article says 4 years but he only served 1.

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u/ComplaintInfamous 3d ago

How you know?

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u/sunshine10zeros 3d ago

He released a statement about him not being the bad guy.

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u/TheRealNoumenon 3d ago

How is that relevant? You judge people based on something they can act and fake? How he feels is for him, not you.

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u/sunshine10zeros 3d ago

It’s for the victim. Part of why they call it the “debt to society” he didn’t pay .

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u/dapper_doberman 3d ago

"Doesn't matter, it's about rehabilitation. It's much better than American prison system that is built to punish criminals."

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u/sunshine10zeros 3d ago

Child rapist should be punished.

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u/dapper_doberman 3d ago

I agree, I prefer punishment. These people can't be rehabilitated.

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u/Village_People_Cop 4d ago

He was convicted in the UK

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u/mminer23 4d ago

He was tried in the UK, but the Dutch only agreed to extradite him if the British let him serve his sentence in the Netherlands, who then released him after serving one year in prison: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-39292039

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u/Lamb_or_Beast 4d ago

Holy cow.

I didn’t realize the Dutch consider something so grotesquely evil as child rape so lightly. Surely something this horrible deserves a more severe sentence..

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u/PepernotenEnjoyer 4d ago edited 3d ago

It isn’t “the Dutch” who consider this. It’s an individual judge (or a small group of judges). Those judges also have to stay within the confines of the law. There have also been instances of child molesters getting 19 years (look up Robert M. if you want to learn more).

But yes obviously one year is waayy too little.

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u/PhoenixAvenger 3d ago

"The Dutch" are also sending him to the Olympics as a representative of their country so... Maybe it's more than just "an individual judge (or a small group of judges)"...

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u/AgreeableLion 3d ago

I'd say it's exactly a small group of judges on the Dutch Olympic Committee making this decision, lol. To be clear I think they made the wrong decision here.

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u/lickava_lija 3d ago

There's ENOUGH people to make such a catastrophic decision.

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u/lekkerbier 3d ago

While I disagree with whoever or what policy got him out after one year. I can understand an olympic committee to stay out of such politics and opinions. Technically he served his sentence and anyone who served their sentence should have a second chance. I'm mostly wondering how our government can have policies for such an early release for such a crime. And I think that is where we should be spending our energy. Having a committee needing to create their own standards can make things really complex and opinionated with other undesired effects as well.

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u/SloanWarrior 3d ago

I really hope there are protests and complaints by the Dutch concerning this selection? News of protests hasn't traveled internationally, but I do hope they've happened.

I'd actually hope for rules on the Olympics side to prevent folk who've been convicted of particularly horrific crimes from participating. Doesn't sound very "Olympic Spirit" to have a child rapist competing: https://olympics.com/ioc/beyond-the-games

I also wonder if someone on one of the other teams might "accidentally" him in the balls, repeatedly. Some sports people have been victims of abuse and might have strong feelings about that sort of thing.

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u/geertvdheide 3d ago edited 3d ago

Name one country that hasn't let assholes off the hook way too easy and has kept them in much too important positions. You can't because this happens in every country. It's much more practical to think in terms of what needs to happen to fix this, than to place blame on an entire country. Almost none of the 18 million Dutchies agree with this or think that this is normal.

I agree that what happened here should have gone a lot different. Serving just one year instead of four isn't right for a crime like this. Even four isn't enough. And then being given the massive privilege of representing your country in the Olympics... It's a horror and a shit show.

But it's very far from unique. From your post history I assume you're US. Which means you have had four years of Clinton and four years of Trump. So pervs and assholes getting off scot-free and assuming high positions in society should not be news to you. Maybe you've also heard of Brock Turner, for example. This shows quickly how stupid it is to make this about countries. No country is free from shit like this.

Instead of whining, some action should be taken. This guy should get so much attention and pressure on him that he's forced to leave the Olympics. This news is doing the rounds pretty heavily so I hope that does something.

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u/ssbm_rando 3d ago

Yeah I actually had a positive opinion of the netherlands before today, but the fact that they think it's okay to send this guy to represent their country on an international stage makes me think the entire country from top to bottom are actually just psychopaths?

Like... no. He should not be allowed within 100 feet of any child, literally ever.

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u/RotisserieSnack 3d ago

Yes because we as an entire country from top to bottom all take a full day off and engage in the sacred act of voting for who represents us in the Olympics 😒

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u/happinesscreep 3d ago

Yeah, no other country has ever sent a child predator forward as any kind of representative...

I agree about this being disgusting and horrible, but let's be real. Serving one year is MORE than a lot of pedos get in the USA and the UK. The USA had more than one child predator PRESIDENT. We have multiple politicians and celebrities traveling around freely when everyone knows they're pedos. The Netherlands is no different. Unfortunately.

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u/AceofToons 3d ago

Unfortunately the truth is that no country is exempt from disgusting people, and no country is exempt from letting disgusting people exist within their "elites"

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u/ExoticSpecific 3d ago

What country are you from?

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u/Bose321 3d ago

🤦‍♂️

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u/xznk 3d ago

Im sorry, are you missing half a brain or something?

How in the world do you infer that because some disgusting judges and a corrupt organization (Olympic committees are a prime example of this, not just in the Netherlands), the whole country, top to bottom (your words) are psychopaths?

This is some of the stupidest shit I’ve read all day. Fucking hell. 

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u/PepernotenEnjoyer 3d ago

You do realize the average Dutch citizen has very little control over who sits on those Olympic committees and whatnot. Generally citizens don’t choose who represents them at the Olympics.

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u/BertBerts0n 3d ago

"The US" have two ancient sex pests running for presidency. So maybe it's more than just those two sex pests.

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u/Lamb_or_Beast 3d ago

Yeah, to be honest I was in a charged-up, reactionary state of mind concerning this topic. I’m sure they’re generally trying to do what they think is right for their society, not go easy on predators.

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u/nightpanda893 3d ago

What’s right for society is he goes to jail for the rest of his life.

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u/ScarletCaptain 3d ago

The United States has this exact same problem. Luckily several judges in the US who have done this shit got removed.

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u/SpaceChatter 4d ago

Nigel Powers was right.

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u/knuckdeep 3d ago

In every great joke, there’s a nugget of truth I guess.

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u/SpaceChatter 3d ago

Deep, but funny. (And true)

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u/byakko 3d ago edited 3d ago

The only way to send a message at this point is for opponents to refuse to play against him, stating they do not want to dignify a child rapist. If the Netherlands wants to let themselves be represented by an unrepentant pedophile, then they will be treated as a country with pedophile role models.

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u/CapableCowboy 3d ago

Why should they give up their shot at a medal? He’s the one that sucks.

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u/InTheEndEntropyWins 3d ago

I swear the average redditor doesn't think we should punish murders harshly or that it's morally wrong.

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u/AnotherDumbass199999 3d ago

Wait until you hear Japanese releasing a cannibal and allowing him to become a celebrity.

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u/Revelrem206 3d ago

Equally as fucked. Shocking that no one cared for the victims.

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u/Nachtraaf 3d ago

Ironically he killed and ate a Dutch woman.

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u/Al_Jazzera 3d ago

All depends on the who, what, when, and where. If the who was the Dutch folks who agreed to the extradition, the what would be their 12 year old children, the when is irreverent because fucking children in the civilized world is never acceptable, and the where is in the home country of the Netherlands.

I bet you gold bars to doughnuts that the sentence for raping little kids would not result in a chicken shit 1 year prison sentence.

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u/ash_274 3d ago

Ask France about Roman Polanski. They don’t think he should spend any time at all.

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u/Brave_Bluebird5042 3d ago

Do you consider prison as punishment, rehabilitation, or community safety?

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u/Lamb_or_Beast 3d ago edited 3d ago

Yes, all 3 ideally. I think punishment should never be the primary goal but I do consider it a legitimate goal among others, when seeking proper justice. Generally I’m not one for locking people away for decades, even for something like this, but considering how serious this crime is (the few details I’ve learned at least), I am astonished that 1 year could be considered appropriate. 

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u/Suitable-Juice-9738 3d ago

If he hasn't reoffended, and doesn't reoffend, then their system has proven superior

The idea that prison should be revenge is barbaric as fuck.

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u/2canbehumble 3d ago

How do you know he hasn’t re offended?

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u/Spatial_Awareness_ 3d ago

Really awesome.. a life time of trauma and therapy with a high risk of suicide for the victim. One year in prison in the Netherlands for the offender. I'm all for rehabilitation but that's a fucking travesty. Dude is living his best life right now and faced barely any consequences for one of the most heinous crimes a human can commit.

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u/CrazyGunnerr 3d ago

I read that in the UK he would have been out in 2, which is absurd as well.

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u/throaway91234567 4d ago

Under Dutch Law though

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u/kc2syk 4d ago

What? How do UK courts have jurisdiction using Dutch law?

Van de Velde was later arrested, extradited to the UK, where he was tried, convicted and sentenced to four years in prison. He was transferred back to the Netherlands and resentenced under Dutch law.

Convicted under UK law, resentenced to one year under Dutch law.

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u/BackupChallenger 4d ago

Wasn't this an UK thing. I mean he's Dutch. But the girl and crime were in the UK?

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u/Mein_Bergkamp 3d ago

Yep and the UK agreed to deport him to a Dutch jail where they resentenced him to only 12 months in prison

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u/BackupChallenger 3d ago

Then it is indeed our fault.

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u/Mein_Bergkamp 3d ago

It is and to be honest I don't understand how unless he's connected somehow.

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u/I_lurk_on_wtf 4d ago

Can’t rehab degeneracy

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u/BearOnTwinkViolence 4d ago

Maybe this is the hottest of all hot takes but I actually appreciate that they’re trying to rehab sex offenders versus just putting them on a list.

I don’t know if you can “fix” pedophilia but if someone can at least be given resources and counseling to prevent them from reoffending, I think that’s a good thing. Obviously this dude shouldn’t be in the Olympics but I’m not going to be upset that they tried to fix him. His sentence should’ve been longer IMO though.

I just feel like we focus so much on punishing pedophiles that we forget to talk about preventing them. I want them punished and they should be, but I’d much rather live in a world where people didn’t reoffend.

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u/fieldy409 4d ago

Men at work unprompted sit around talking about the brutal torture they'd do if they ever caught one, talking about breaking glass bottles inside them and other stuff it's like damn imagine the terror if you had those urges you'd never seek therapy

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u/BearOnTwinkViolence 4d ago

And those men are usually the ones who have countdowns to a girl’s 18th birthday and don’t see the irony in it.

Pedophilia is embedded in our culture. It’s much more pervasive than people realize. The sexualization of young teenage girls is so common that we don’t bat an eye when men talk about how hot some 19 year old is. We think that turning 18 magically makes you an adult.

If we actually looked at pedophilia as who’s attracted to children (and not who has raped a child) then we have a pretty big problem on our hands.

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u/fieldy409 4d ago

Nah don't say that counting down to 18 thing about people you don't know that's a wild accusation to casually throw.

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u/BearOnTwinkViolence 4d ago

I didn’t aim it any individual, I said men who brag about the ways they’d torture pedophiles are usually into young girls themselves. 🤷🏼‍♂️ Sorry if that bothers you but there’s a very strong correlation between the normalization of violence and the sexualizarion of young people.

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u/fieldy409 4d ago

Yeah I don't like it because I'm talking about guys I know, I think they're all right.

It's a pretty common thing to have torture fantasy over someone irredeemable. I can disapprove but I don't think it's right to damn them as groomers or I'd be damning 99% of the world you know?

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u/Suitable-Juice-9738 3d ago

I think they're all right.

You just described what utter monsters they are.

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u/MrBump01 4d ago

Ideally you'd want the people who have those thoughts to know they can go somewhere to get help before they do anything to act upon them. Obviously in this case the person has acted upon them and shown no remorse so a lengthy prison sentence and permanent ban from travelling out of the country would make sense. This needs to be highlighted by the other competing nations.

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u/SnooStrawberries620 4d ago

Pedophilia is a disease without a cure. The Dutch are known for being child sex trafficking’s best customers in Southeast Asia along with British and Americans for a long time now.  Better to take all the hope for humanity, all the celebration of the human spirit, and all those accolades and put them towards the girl who managed not to commit suicide before adulthood as a result of this pig. Elevating him to any sort of status is absolutely disgusting and expect the Dutch to all have to suffer for his actions at the Olympics. But if they are all supporting him then they can go down with the ship.

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u/[deleted] 4d ago

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u/Zoomwafflez 4d ago

I feel like this is a shovel and shut up situation

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u/Stair-Spirit 4d ago

Pedophiles can't reoffend if they're imprisoned for life. Seems like a solid solution to me.

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u/BearOnTwinkViolence 4d ago

Ok and what about people who haven’t offended yet? You’re missing what I’m saying about prevention.

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u/Stair-Spirit 4d ago

Idk man, I'm just saying that they shouldn't be let out of prison after committing

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u/BearOnTwinkViolence 4d ago

That’s my point. That’s where the conversation always stops. It’s not productive. Everyone has strong opinions on punishment but no one can be bothered to care about prevention. Y’all want blood, not to protect the kids.

I’m all for lifetime imprisonment. What now? How do we prevent this from happening to other kids?

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u/Stravven 4d ago

First of all you are wrong about where he was convicted, that was in the UK and not in the Netherlands since the crime happened in the UK. Second of all: The Netherlands is one of the few countries in Europe where you still have life sentences, not to mention that for some people the prison sentence might be low, but judges often add a measure called TBS, which is basically a sentence in a psychiatric hospital where you can only leave when the doctors and judges deem you fit to return to society.

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u/MIdtownBrown68 4d ago

The article said he was removed to the Netherlands after his UK conviction and resentenced.

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u/Sumonaut 4d ago

Didn't seem too relevant in this case... Fucker is out and about. Not sorry and living his splendid life at the Olympics in a few weeks.

This makes the Netherlands look really bad in regards to child molesters

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u/Relevant_Winter1952 4d ago

And the Olympic spirit

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u/The_Real_Abhorash 3d ago

Rehabilitation is making amends a person who can willfully do something so maliciously cruel isn’t rehabilitated by being given a slap on the wrist it’s simply injustice.

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u/Rivegauche610 3d ago

I thought he was from Klanabama for a moment there.

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u/ScarletCaptain 3d ago edited 3d ago

They can, emphasis “can,” extend prison sentences almost indefinitely though through review processes. Anders Brevik for example will almost certainly die in prison.

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u/KaleidoscopeNo4771 3d ago

Great place to live if you’re human garbage

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u/YossarianRex 3d ago

this thread has really pointed out to me how different the US justice system is. whatever though. any system only works if you let move on after they get out. you can agree or disagree with the sentence length, etc… but it’s not for the mob to impose punishment, that’s the antithesis of any justice system.

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u/Sadrcitysucks 3d ago

Im sure that's a comfort to the victims.... rehab is great but punishment should never be just an afterthought.  

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u/Triangle1619 3d ago

Don’t care he is a child rapist. Deserves absolute minimum 10 years in prison

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u/erydayimredditing 3d ago

You can't rehabilitate child rape. Thinking anyone could be forgiven for that is sick, and no one other than the victim or their parents would have the ability to say otherwise.

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u/Top_Implement1492 3d ago

Sounds like California

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u/LucasRuby 3d ago

What about deterrence? Is a one year sentence enough to deter would be child rapists? Especially considering they don't always get caught.

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u/snowtol 3d ago

He was convicted in the UK and allowed to sit out his sentence in the Netherlands. His sentence is not on us.

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u/AMaleficentFox 3d ago

The rate of recidivism in the USA is 70% within 5 years of release, the highest in the entire world.

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u/East-Ad4472 3d ago

Similar here in Australia Im afraid .Multiple offences in one case the evil POS got like 2 at midterms 3 years max Took years to come to court long , hotrible battle for the victims to get justice

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u/Enschede2 3d ago

Rehabilitation my ass, 9 out of 10 times these people end up reoffending and you know it, our judicial system just doesn't care about protecting the innocent, it cares about propping up the state treasury and nothing else

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u/ytaqebidg 3d ago

But is going to the Olympics rehabilitation?

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u/The_Kelhim 3d ago

He was convicted in the UK though. Doesn’t make him any less of a garbage human being and I’m ashamed to share a nationality with him.

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u/MaxTheCookie 3d ago

Can't rehabilitate child rapists...

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u/myNameIsHopethePony 3d ago

This isn't true in general. Dutch prison sentences are longer on average than in most other European countries.

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u/Wicked-Pineapple 3d ago

Maybe that ought to change

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u/sweetsteeths 2d ago

They’re not big on justice, you mean.

A justice system not big on…justice.

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u/Critical_Reserve_201 2d ago

There is a difference between a focus on rehabilitation and cultivating a disgusting, heinous and frankly obvious rape culture.

The Netherlands is allowing a rapist to get off with a slap on the wrist.

All this tells me is that The Netherlands does not think the rape of children is that serious of a crime.

That people convicted of that only need 1 year of rehabilitation before they are allowed to walk free and that only another sentence of 1 year waits for them if they reoffend.

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u/No_Tomatillo1553 2d ago

Ah, yes, because he seems like he understands it is wrong and harmful to the child and totally won't just do it again...

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u/ForcedLaborForce 1d ago

They rehabilitated a criminal into an olympian.

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u/phutch54 1d ago

Castration is the only rehab for a pedo.

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u/ConsistentAd2922 19h ago

I’ve read that pedophiles are least likely to be rehabbed, closer to never I believe

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u/Aploogee 3d ago

There is absolutely NO rehabilitating rapists.

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u/Johnnodrums 4d ago

I hope there are nonstop boos until he leaves the floor.

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u/Low-Union6249 2d ago

Maybe throw some of those poop balloons at him 🎈

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u/TuckyMule 2d ago

So he was 17 and she was 10? Yikes.

I'm surprised he got such a light sentence.

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