Professional volleyball player imprisoned for rape…

By Charlie Sawyer

Published on June 27, 2024 at 11:47 am

Reading time: 1 minute

Image courtesy of TOMS KALNINS/EPA-EFE from Shutterstock

Steven Van de Velde, who was 19 at the time of the crime, met his victim through Facebook and then travelled from Amsterdam to the UK to meet and sexually assault the girl at an address in Milton Keynes.

Beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde, who was imprisoned in 2016 for raping a 12-year-old girl, is set to represent the Netherlands at the upcoming 2024 Summer Olympics in ParisThe 29-year-old was sentenced to four years in prison He was charged at the time after admitting three counts of rape of a child, but only served a twelve-month prison sentence.

According to the BBCVan de Velde, who was 19 at the time of the crime, met his victim through Facebook and then travelled from Amsterdam to the UK to meet and sexually assault the girl at an address in Milton Keynes. The crime is alleged to have taken place in August 2014.

According to several reports, the volleyball player was aware of the girl’s age as he had spoken to her on various social networks. Van de Velde then went to the girl’s house when her mother was not there and had sex with her, thus depriving her of her virginity.

In passing sentence, Judge Francis Sheridan stressed: “You were a potential Olympian. You had the opportunity to have a bright future representing the Netherlands. She was a 12-year-old child. You were fully aware of that fact.”

Prosecution and defence expert Linda Strudwick said: “There is genuine remorse. He has lost a brilliant sporting career and been branded a rapist. This is clearly the end of his career.” Clearly that was not the case.

After his 12-month prison sentence, Van de Velde returned to professional sport almost immediately and has competed in several international games since 2018. All of this led to him qualifying for the Olympic Games in his national pair with partner Matthew Immers.

After legitimate concerns were raised, the Dutch Olympic Committee (NOC) released a statement insisting that Van de Velde had met all the criteria to participate in the Games: “After his release, Van de Velde sought and received professional advice. He demonstrated self-awareness and self-reflection to those around him – both privately and professionally.”

The BBC also reported that the 29-year-old said in interviews with other news agencies: “I can’t take it back, so I’m going to have to face the consequences. It was the biggest mistake of my life.”

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) stated that the nomination of individual team members was “the sole responsibility of the respective National Olympic Committee”.

Although little is known about the details of the case or the impact this traumatic event had on the victim, the fact that someone who raped a child is allowed to participate in the most prestigious sporting event in the world is truly shocking and abhorrent.