A former swimming instructor in the Netherlands will be charged with forty cases of sexually assaulting children and with possession of child pornography.

The charges will be formally brought in the coming weeks, a spokesperson for the public prosecutor's office said on Thursday.

Sixty parents in the southern city of Den Bosch reported the man to the police last September, leading to a lot of unrest and ultimately to the man's arrest. Initially the public prosecutor referred to at least 98 cases of sexual assault, but it turned out some cases had been counted twice.

The instructor specialised in giving swimming instruction to children with learning difficulties and social handicaps. The 59-year-old accused has apologised on camera to his victims.

The next court session in the case will be on 1 April 2010, and the actual trial, which is expected to take five days, will begin on 31 May.

© Radio Netherlands Worldwide