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Dutch volleyball player imprisoned for raping 12-year-old girl to compete in Paris Olympics

Theo

A Dutch beach volleyball player who raped a 12-year-old British girl has qualified for next month’s Olympic Games in Paris despite a judge telling him his dream of representing the Netherlands had been “shattered”.

Steven van de Velde was sentenced to four years in prison in March 2016 after admitting three counts of rape of a child he met on Facebook. In August 2014, aged 19, he flew from the Netherlands to the UK to meet his victim, who telegraph reported.

Judge Francis Sheridan told him: “Before you came to this country, you trained as a potential Olympian. Your hopes of representing your country are now a shattered dream.”

However, Van de Velde, who was released after just 12 months in a Dutch prison, was allowed to resume his Olympic career and this month he secured his place in the national doubles for the Paris Games alongside Matthew Immers.

When the verdict was announced at Aylesbury Crown Court following his extradition from his homeland, his defence lawyer Linda Strudwick commented: “The headlines say it all: ‘A sex monster.’ This is clearly the end of his career.”

The opposite is the case, as Van de Velde, now 29, has successfully rebuilt his beach volleyball career and is now ranked eleventh in the world rankings with Immer, heading to Paris next month.

Van de Velde’s resurrection poses a significant ethical dilemma for the International Olympic Committee. Every Olympian in Paris must sign a declaration on the rights and responsibilities of athletes, which includes a commitment to “act as a role model.”

Van de Velde had travelled from Amsterdam to Milton Keynes to perform sexual acts with a 12-year-old girl – a fact that the judge clearly acknowledged in 2016. Before arranging the meeting, he had communicated with the victim via social media and taken her virginity while her mother was away.

“Your actions have destroyed your life and had you never come to England and committed these offences, you could have been a leader in your sport,” Judge Sheridan said. “A young, naive, stupid child had the idea that you loved her. In reality, you only knew her from the internet, had never met her before and were fully aware of the age difference.”

After his release in 2017, having served only a quarter of his sentence, Van de Velde, who had cried in court when he learned of the girl’s self-harm and overdose, stated: “I want to correct all the nonsense that was written about me during my imprisonment. I deliberately did not read any of it, but I understand that it was quite harsh and branded me as a sex monster, as a paedophile. That’s not who I am, really not.”

“Everyone is entitled to their own opinion about me, but it’s only fair that they hear my side of the story.”

These comments provoked a scathing response from the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, which stated: “Van de Velde’s lack of remorse and self-pity is astonishing, and we can only imagine how distressed his victim must be when she sees his comments.”

“Grooming can make children feel ashamed or even guilty because they believe they have participated voluntarily for some reason, when in reality an adult has sexually exploited them.”

The Dutch Olympic Committee has not yet commented on Van de Velde’s qualification for Paris. According to The Australian, the country’s volleyball association has not yet finalised its athlete selection. The IOC has been asked for a response.

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