A 34-year-old man from the staunchly Protestant town of Bunschoten is facing charges of sexually abusing seven children, the public prosecution department said on Tuesday.

The man was arrested at the end of December on suspicion of abusing two children from within his ‘personal sphere’ but five other charges have now been added, the department said.

All the victims, both boys and girls, are under the age of 12. Three of them may have been abused by the man when he was working as a volunteer for a church-organised daycare in autumn 2020.

The man will appear in court for a pro-forma hearing on Tuesday and the main case will be heard after the summer.