One jailed, 11 get community service in teen prostitute case

One man has been jailed for five months, three suspended, and 11 others given community service sentences for having sex with a 16-year-old girl in a hotel room in Valkenburg last year.

One man was found not guilty by the court in Maastricht because of a lack of evidence.

The public prosecution department had called for sentences of up to one year. The man who was jailed had deliberately looked for a ‘young and inexperienced’ girl, the court said. ‘So he took the risk that he would end up with a minor,’ judges said in a statement.

The girl, known in court as Kimberly, disappeared from her home in October last year and was found by police having sex with a man in a motel in December.

Earlier this month, two other men were jailed and 10 others given community service sentences ranging from 180 to 240 hours. The girl’s 21-year-old pimp has been jailed for two years.

According to broadcaster Nos, the public prosecution department is to appeal against the sentences, which it says are not long enough.