Ruling Targets ‘Sex Tourists’

In the country’s first ruling on sex tourism, a local court sentenced a Dutchman to five years in prison Tuesday for abusing children in the Philippines.

Authorities hope the ruling will send a warning to so-called sex tourists that they can be prosecuted at home for crimes committed abroad.

The Hague’s District Court convicted a 43-year-old Dutchman for having sex with six child prostitutes on a visit to the Philippines. Some were as young as 11.

He was also convicted for sexually abusing an unconscious woman in the Netherlands.

The man was arrested in the eastern Dutch city of Delft in February after he tried to have photos developed showing him having sex with the Filipino girls. Authorities also discovered video tapes in his home, showing the man having sex with young girls.