A man suspected of grooming and sexually abusing hundreds of girls via internet has been arrested by police in Brabant, the public prosecution office confirmed on Wednesday.

The man is said to have been active for eight years. His victims, said to number around 300 by the public prosecution department, were aged between 10 and 17.

At least 11 are said to have had a meeting with the man and were sexually abused by him. Police found some 26,000 videos and 144,000 photographs during a raid on his house, the department said in a statement.

Belgium

Around 30 of the girls are said to come from Belgium, the rest are spread all over the Netherlands, Nos television said. Around 65 of the victims have so far been identified.

The man, named as 48-year-old Frank R from the town of Cuijk, befriended the girls by pretending to be the same age as them. He then persuaded them to carry out sexual acts in front of a webcam, which he then recorded.

Grooming, the process of contacting children with the aim of sexually abusing them, is a criminal offence in the Netherlands.

Disappearance

The case came to light following the disappearance of a 12-year-old girl from Groningen in May. She was later found in R’s car and said she had been abused by him.

The man was arrested and has remained in custody since then while the investigation is carried out, Nos television said.

It is not clear when the case will come to trial, or if the man has confessed to his crimes, Nos said. Three girls have so far made formal police complaints against the man.