The police distributed images of the man. — © if
Bredene/Bruges –
Sixteen years after he was sentenced to years in prison for the rape of his own daughter, Ronny D. (52) groped a 10-year-old girl in the swimming pool in Bredene. In his own words, the Bruges native only wanted to help her onto a floating mat, but he was a bit ‘careless’ in doing so. Behind closed doors, the public prosecutor’s office demanded an effective prison sentence of four years on Monday morning.
On Wednesday, April 19, 2023, the then 10-year-old victim went swimming with her grandmother in the Ter Polder municipal swimming pool in Bredene. While swimming, the girl was approached by Ronny D. (52), who suggested she help with her swimming technique. He allegedly groped the girl on her breasts, buttocks and feces. He then allegedly pulled the victim against him in the shower.
Exactly a week later, D. reappeared in the Bredene swimming pool. He was then filmed by the surveillance cameras, but later did not return to the pool. At the end of October, the police finally issued an investigation notice at the request of the Bruges public prosecutor’s office, after which D. voluntarily presented himself to the police together with his lawyer Mathieu Langerock on October 31, 2023.
At his trial, which took place behind closed doors on Monday before the Bruges criminal court, the Bruges man did not deny the assault. But he did minimize the facts. In his own words, he was only a bit ‘careless’ when he tried to help the girl onto a floating board. He also allegedly only touched her in the loins and had no sexual intentions. He strongly denies the facts in the showers.
Child pornography on mobile phones
The public prosecutor requested four years of effective imprisonment and five years of availability to the sentencing court, which can extend the detention if necessary. In addition to the facts in the Bredene swimming pool, D. is also charged with possession of 140 child pornographic photos on his mobile phone. In May 2020, he was sentenced to two years in prison for possession of thousands of images of child abuse. And in September 2007, he was sentenced to six years on appeal for raping his minor daughter.
Despite his minimizing attitude, D. did not dispute the assault. The defense insisted on a suspended sentence under conditions, such as chemical castration and a ban on contact with minors. The victim and her mother filed a civil suit in the case on Monday morning and are each claiming 5,000 euros in damages. The verdict will be announced on May 13.