The Dutch beach volleyball player who served time in prison after he was convicted of raping a 12-year-old girl in England has won his second match at the Paris Olympics.

Dutch beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde, who served time in prison after he was convicted of raping a 12-year-old girl, won his second match at the Paris Olympics and received an even harsher reaction from the crowd on Wednesday than for his first match.

  • Nuke_the_whales@lemmy.worldEnglish
    646·
    4 months ago

    From another article:

    There are also those, such as the court reporter Chris Klomp, who have argued that he is not the “sex monster” or “groomer” he has been made out to be in some English-language media.

    Klomp wrote on X that, although what Van de Velde did was utterly wrong and punishable, he did not physically force the girl to have sex with him. He wrote: “The absence of coercion (other than the age difference) is also evident from the fact that the British court acquitted him of grooming. It was not his intention to ‘persuade her’ into sexual acts.”

    Wow. That reporter just made himself look like a pedophile by defending the pedophile rapist that hard.

    • teamevil@lemmy.worldEnglish
      401·
      4 months ago

      He used the “she came on to me” line? Gross. They’re all gross and weird people.

      • Echo Dot@feddit.ukEnglish
        7·
        4 months ago

        And it 100% isn’t true. I know in the past there have been cases of underage individuals doing that but they’re usually older than 12. It tends to be school age children who think they know what romance is.

        Not a 12-year-old kid.

        • vithigar@lemmy.caEnglish
          1·
          4 months ago

          …is 12 not school age?

          Also, are you suggesting that somehow makes a difference?