The Dutch Catholic church is to pay financial compensation to 250 victims of sexual abuse whose cases were earlier dismissed.

The committee investigating the abuse determined earlier that 250 cases are not proven, mainly because there were no other complaints about the priest concerned.

The decision to pay compensation follows concerns by commission members that rejected complaints were also true, despite the lack of evidence.

The committee has processed 1,400 claims of abuse out of around 1,800 complaints made by the beginning of this year.  In total, the church has paid out some €16m in compensation.