Dutch Volleyball player who raped 12-year-old British girl qualifies for Paris Olympics

[MidnightPatrol]

A beach volleyball player who was jailed for raping a 12-year-old British girl is set to represent the Netherlands at the Paris Olympics.

Steven van de Velde, now 29, was sentenced to four years in prison in 2016 after admitting three counts of rape against a child, which took place in August 2014.

He was allowed to serve his sentence in the Netherlands but was released after just 12 months.

The Dutch Olympic Committee (NOC) told BBC Sport: "After his release, Van de Velde sought and received professional counselling. He demonstrated to those around him - privately and professionally - self-insight and reflection."

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said the nomination of individual team members is "the sole responsibility of each respective National Olympic Committee".

https://www.bbc.com/sport/articles/c511yz5ze18o

Should this mean be allowed to compete in the Olympics, given his crimes?

Then the British authorities should never have agreed to him being transferred

Volleyball gets very little coverage and given that only two sports can be shown live, and there is no UK team. So it may not be covered, albeit for different reasons.

He refused to come to the UK voluntarily.** So he needed to be extradited and I believe the Dutch authorities have a policy where they will only extradite Dutch citizens if the other countries agree to extradite them back to serve their sentances in the Netherlands if the Dutch authorities request it. So the English courts didn't really have much choice. And as soon as he was back on Dutch soil the Dutch reduced his sentence because they don't consider it that bad a crime.

**But he's so remorseful

He served one year of his sentence in the UK before being transferred back home.

4 years for rape of a minor was the sentence given by the UK judge so they can’t blame the Netherlands for that.

I don’t think either country have covered themselves in glory here. Time and again we see it here - strongly worded statements from judges which are then NOT backed by strong custodial sentences.

I completely agree! I wish they had given him a longer sentence, and I wish that they gave longer sentences in general. Its just that in practical terms it wouldn't have made any difference. He would have been sent back to the Netherlands and then released after just one year whatever sentence the UK courts gave him. I do think that a 20 year sentence would have sent a stronger message but it wouldn't have changed life for him.

Long read here if anyone is interested in extradition law (if you like that sort of thing its fascinating)
The rule against the extradition of nationals: overview and perspectives | International Bar Association (ibanet.org)
There is also a general difference between common law and civil law countries. Not just in the law itself but in the whole attitude.

I will stop spamming the thread now. But first, here are some email addresses, just in case anyone wants to write polite letters about this:

Dutch Olympic Committee contacts:
[email protected]
[email protected]

Defence for Children Netherlands (organisation with "promoting children's rights in the Netherlands and Internationally") could be asked about their opinions on the case:
English | Defence for Children
[email protected]

Defence for Children France (French version of the above)
[email protected]

Kids Rights foundation (Dutch NGO, advocates for children's rights abroad. Milton Keynes is abroad)
[email protected]

Links that are probably more useful if you are in the netherlands than outside it
Filing a complaint about the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport | Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport | Rijksoverheid.nl
Contact met het ministerie van Justitie en Veiligheid | Ministerie van Justitie en Veiligheid | Rijksoverheid.nl

She was 17 and of sound mind. She took her own life by choosing to cease eating (not because of anorexia). I'm not sure force-feeding her and keeping her alive against her wishes would have been ideal either when she's nearly an adult. Mind you, I do think very differently now I'm in my 40s than when I was 18. It's so hard.

If she was say 30+ I wouldn't hesitate to support her 100%. I mean, it's sad when a young person dies but I fully support a person's right to decide to end their life. As long as they are adult and of sound mind. Mental suffering is not necessarily less painful than physical suffering.

I disagree. Mental suffering can be as painful or even more painful than physical suffering but it is (at least sometimes) curable through treatment or the passage of time. Or at least alleviated. It isn't at all uncommon for victims of sexual trauma to want to end their lives. They don't always feel like that forever.
But my main objection was that being molested as a child was considered to cause such long term irreversible damage that allowing her to die might be the kindest thing. But simultaneously molesting a child is a fairly minor crime of "fornication". You would think her clear suffering would trigger a change in law at the time but nope.

Gor a reply from Dutch olympic communications

We sincerely thank you for your response. We are deeply aware that the renewed publicity about Steven van de Velde is causing a lot of emotion, which we fully understand, as the events at that time were very serious.
A lot has happened since then. Steven van de Velde served his sentence and has completed an extensive rehabilitation program with specialized professionals, including the probation service. During this process, Van de Velde has shown that he has grown and that he has positively changed his live. Experts have concluded that there is no risk of recidivism. In 2018, he gave a some interviews about his offence and its consequences. (Please take a moment to watch the w_ that Steven gave to Dutch national television).
The Dutch national volleyball federation (Nevobo) as well as the Dutch National Olympic Committee (NOCNSF) have closely monitored Steven’s progress and explicitly followed the advice of experts. This process has been fully in line with the Dutch Guidelines Integrity Recordss_, which set out the conditions that must be met by athletes to be given a second chance after a conviction.
Steven has been given this second chance and has been participating (since 2017) on international elite sport level. Throughout this time, he has consistently met the high standards set by the volleyball federation and NOCNSF.
Based on all of the above and after careful consideration, NOC*NSF has decided to select Steven van de Velde for the Olympic Games in Paris.

Yours sincerely,
Lieselot Meelker
Corporate communications NOC*NSF

Experts have concluded that there is no risk of recidivism

How can anyone say he won’t do it again? I get you could say low risk but to say “no risk” that’s something else.

No actual expert would say this. I sometimes have to communicate risk in vaguely similar circumstances. The very very most I would say is, 'there appears to be no additional risk'. Because there's risk even with a man who has never offended. Sex offending has a very high recidivism rate and treatment isn't particularly effective.

Absolutely disgraceful

Filthy creature should have been hung and then we wouldn’t have to worry.

Its either amazingly fantastic news- and the Netherlands has made one of the biggest breakthroughs in criminal psychology and rehabilitation EVER in which case I look forward to this new knowledge being shared with the rest of the world. OR its complete and utter unmitigated bullshit. Time will tell.

I mean one of the main issues is not whether he is remorseful or whether he is going to re-offend (those are obviously important) but how does this look to the poor girl he did this to? Like her feelings don't matter? He gets to just carry on like nothing has happened and be on TV living out his dreams while she lives with the memories of what happened every single day!

@MamaGarl85 And to other victims of CSA. And to perpetrators - part of the reason for criminal punishment is to serve a deterrent. Not only did he suffer very few long term consequences for his own actions But the NOC and the Dutch press are currently minimising and providing excuses for what he has done. The central message is CSA is not a big deal. Which will have consequences.

Checklist for Assessing Change in Men Who Abuse Women | Lundy Bancroft (about domestic abusers but most of it also applies to child sexual abuse. Van de Velde meets hardly any of the criteria) In fact... The Connection Between Batterers and Child Sexual Abuse Perpetrators | Lundy Bancroft

This. Every time one of these arseholes (and there are so so many) waltzes onto TV or a stage, it's clear that being convicted of sex offending doesn't 'ruin lives'. It's a little blip in a lovely life for men, regardless of the trauma for women and children.

He spent two years grooming her. He was prepared to invest that much time into the eventual payoff of sex with a child. One year in prison is not a deterrent to people like that.

I guess, maybe, officiallly, he's a hebephile rather than a paedophile. And the Netherlands are allowed to set their own standards of criminal rehabilitation.

And in Brunei and the Yemen, amongst other countries, marriagiable age is 14 or younger. So they could be represented by an adult married to a child or vv.

So we should be pressurising the IOC for
standards, not relying on each country tostep up.

Men that are sexually attracted to ten year old are paedophiles. Ten year olds are prepubescent. So are twelve year olds. And if you don't want to be judged according to the laws of a country, don't go to that country.

I don’t think 12 months in prison is serving his time. 12 months for ruining a child’s life.
And The Netherlands should be ashamed to let such a disgusting specimen represent their country.

Presumably it's up to individual countries to apply their own code of ethics. Disappointing that the Netherlands evidently doesn't bar child abusers (and I wonder whether the UK does). What we should all be doing is lobbying the Netherlands Olympics panel for a much needed change.
Imagine being the girl or her family and seeing him being cheered on on TV. Horrendous.

Not the first olympic scandal I've heard and not by a long shot. Not surprised they wouldn't care quite frankly.

Everyone crows on endlessly about safeguarding of children in sport but this is the reality. If anyone gave a shit this guy would not even be allowed to compete. Imagine him being a coach one day, or in a position of authority over young athletes.

Just read this up thread:
'Throughout this time, he has consistently met the high standards set by the volleyball federation and NOCNSF.' 😂

Oh great so we have a new standard for treating sex offenders then, send them to the volleyball fed and if they meet the volleyball fed standards then they are A ok and no more threat.

I mean what kind of world are we even living in?! What unbelievable ridiculous nonsense.