Dutch appeals court convicts child abuser of manslaughter

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A Dutch appeals court has convicted a man of manslaughter and sentenced him to 16 years imprisonment in the death and sexual abuse of an 11-year-old boy in 1998. Jos Brech was first convicted in November 2020 and sentenced to 12-and-a-half years for sexually abusing Nicky Verstappen and depriving him of his liberty leading to his death. At the time, he was acquitted of deliberately killing the boy. Both Brech and prosecutors appealed. The appeals court in the southern city of Den Bosch on Friday upheld the earlier convictions and found Brech guilty of manslaughter, saying that by grabbing Verstappen and covering his mouth while abusing him, Brech accepted the possibility the boy could die.