Geraardsbergen –
A teacher from De Springplank primary school in the Geraardsbergen district of Onkerzele was arrested by the police on Friday evening. The man is suspected of sexual offenses with children from the school. De Springplank is a branch of the Geraardsbergse Sint-Catharinacollege.
The East Flanders public prosecutor’s office was informed of the facts by the federal judicial police on January 31. It was about “the creation and distribution of child pornographic images and sexual offenses targeting minors”.
The public prosecutor’s office immediately requested an investigating judge. On Friday morning, February 2, a search took place at the suspect’s home. He was arrested and taken for questioning.
In the meantime, the man has also been arrested by the investigating judge. The judicial investigation is in full swing.
Excited
Filip Santens, director of Sint-Catharinacollege, the main school under which De Springplank primary school falls, reacts with shock to the news. “These are facts that happened at the school and are completely unacceptable,” he is clear.
“We are obviously shocked by what happened. Such facts are unacceptable to us and directly contradict our pedagogical project, in which the physical and moral integrity of every student is of great importance.”
“We take these allegations very seriously. At this time it is still unclear what exactly happened. The schoolchildren are not aware of what is happening, they only noticed that the teacher was suddenly no longer at school,” said Santens.
Preventively suspended
The director says he and his school are fully cooperating with the investigation. “We also want to know how this could have happened. The teacher was preventively suspended while the investigation is ongoing and will no longer be present at school.”
“There were already consultations on Monday with the parents of the children who may be victims. A meeting for all parents at the school will take place on Tuesday evening. Out of respect for the privacy of those involved, we cannot go into further details of the case,” said director Santens. “In the interest of our students, we ask everyone not to comment on speculation. We call for discretion not to interfere with the investigation.”