A 37-year-old man from Bodegraven has appeared in court accused of abusing children and sharing indecent images over a 20-year-period.

The man was arrested last July as part of a police investigation into the use of encrypted messaging apps by suspected child abusers. He is said to have described offences he committed against underage boys and girls in various chat groups.

The prosecution service said he had been linked to images of very young children. Three victims have been identified but prosecutors say there are likely to be more and have issued an appeal for witnesses.

He is believed to have come into contact with children as a coach at a climbing club in Dordrecht between 2006 and 2019, as well as through his connections to two churches – the Zuidhovenkerk in Dordrecht from 2003 to 2018 and the Ichthuskerk in Bodegraven until last year.

Bodegraven was the focus of an online conspiracy theory in recent years after rumours spread online of a “satanic” cult carrying out ritual child murders there in the 1980s.

The local council took legal action against three people, one of whom was ordered by a court to take down dozens of social media messages she had posted about the alleged paedophile network.