The Antwerp resident was able to convince the thirteen-year-old victim (not the boy in the photo) to make a nude video and send it to him. — © Getty Images/iStockphoto
The Public Prosecution Service has requested a conditional sentence of fifteen months against a 24-year-old man from Antwerp. He posed online as a fifteen-year-old girl and convinced a thirteen-year-old Malinois to forward a masturbation video.
The investigation into Antwerp resident LM started when a thirteen-year-old young man from Mechelen went to the police and stated that in the summer of 2019 he had come into contact with someone through Instagram and Telegram who he thought was a fifteen-year-old girl. . “He did not see the dangers of the social media account in question and the teenager started a sexually explicit conversation with the person he thought was a girl. In reality he spoke to LM, a man who was 19 years old at the time,” said prosecutor Philippe Van Ingelgem. “The man in question asked the minor to send a nude video of himself. Initially, the victim held off the boat, but eventually he changed tack and sent a video of himself undressing and masturbating.”
Shortly after sending the video, the teenager realized that something was wrong and deleted the video from the chat session. “But he realized that the video could already have been downloaded and even distributed by Mr. M.
The police were able to quickly identify the man behind the account as LM. He was interrogated and stated that he committed the crimes on a whim because he had an enormous urge to obtain such a video. But he also admitted that he quickly developed a sense of guilt and shame. That is why he would have broken off contact with the teenager.
Orientation
The man told the police that he was gay and that his orientation was not discussed within his family. That’s why he allegedly pretended to be a teenage girl online to make it easier to obtain spicy material from men. According to the Public Prosecution Service, the man deliberately looked for minors. “That’s why he passed himself off as a teenage girl. To find a victim in that age category.”
Because, according to the court psychiatrist, there is a high risk of relapse, the prosecutor demanded a fifteen-month conditional prison sentence, coupled with residential admission to an institution. “That will have an impact on his studies and his future life. I understand that. But we must do everything we can to ensure that these facts do not repeat themselves.”
Steps taken
Lawyer Sven De Potter emphasized that his client had been at odds with himself for a while. “He struggled with his sexuality and to this day cannot talk about it at home. His family also knows nothing about these facts. But he realizes that he has crossed a social boundary. On the other hand, the facts date from five years ago and no other incidents have surfaced in the meantime. He has already taken steps. For example, he had conversations with a psychologist at school. And he can also show good school results at college.”
Lawyer Sven De Potter assisted the Antwerp resident and asked for a probation suspension to be imposed. — © Bert De Deken
The defense requested that a probation suspension be imposed and that residential admission be replaced by outpatient supervision.
We will know what the court thinks about it on May 28.
Tags: Man pretends teenage girl convinces #13yearold Mechelaar send masturbation video Antwerp
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