DEN BOSCH - Justice yesterday demanded on appeal five years in prison with deduction of remand in custody against former Heerlen man Marcel T. suspected of lewdness.This is two years less than the public prosecutor (OM) earlier demanded at the court in Maastricht.The attorney general dropped one charge against the 44-year-old T. yesterday. According to the prosecution, on reflection, it has not been proven sufficiently legally and convincingly that T. sexually abused a 16-year-old boy. "Moreover, during the interrogation of the boy, insufficient questioning and investigation was conducted," the attorney general said. Initially, the prosecution suspected T. of fornicating with two minors (ages 11 and 16) in 2005 and 2006. During that period, T. owned the private agency PuberEnZo in the municipality of Heerlen. The lewd acts with the 11-year-old were sufficiently proven, according to the justice department. The same goes for the alleged rape of an eighteen-year-old boy. However, the judge in Maastricht acquitted T. in August last year for all these sex offenses for lack of evidence. T. was then convicted only for possession of child pornography and weapons possession.

Justice appealed that acquittal. During the hearing yesterday, T. largely invoked his right to remain silent: "Because how will you answer if you can soon be hung on one word?" Moreover, T. said at the end of the hearing that he cannot understand why the entire trial has to take some three years already. "Because in the meantime I'm sitting at home and can't do anything at all." T.'s lawyer Serge Weening from Maastricht further pointed out that T. has recently had to endure a lot from people who take the law into their own hands. "His caravan has been set on fire, his windows have been smashed and on the Internet his name and picture are on a pedophile site." The court in Den Bosch will rule on the case on Sept. 30.

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