Police investigating a swimming instructor from the southern town of Den Bosch suspected of sexually abusing his pupils have discovered tens of thousands of photographs of girls between the ages of 6 and 16 at his home.

The public prosecutor for Den Bosch, Gerrit van der Burg, announced at a press conference on Tuesday evening that the photographs, showing as many as 98 different girls in and around swimming pools, were found on five computers, eight hard disks, ten cameras and 16 memory cards. Some of the photographs show the suspect involved in sexual acts with the girls. As far as the police can determine, none of the victims were actually raped.

59-year-old Benno Larue is the owner of a swimming school which specialises in lessons for the mentally disabled and children with a fear of water. He has been teaching for 18 years at his own school and various other swimming baths. It is not known how long he has been abusing children or whether only mentally disabled girls were involved. The deputy chief of the regional police force, Wilbert Paulissen, says the instructor was investigated briefly five years ago following rumours that he "couldn't keep his hands off" his pupils, but nothing incriminating was found.

On Sunday 7 June the police received what they refer to as "concrete information" which enabled them to begin an investigation. Mr Larue was arrested the following day. Following consultation between Den Bosch Mayor Ton Rombouts and the police, the man's house is now guarded by private security guards. Emotions are running high in Den Bosch and nearby towns and it was feared there might be attempts to set fire to the house.

Three meetings were held on Tuesday evening to inform hundreds of concerned parents about the progress of the police investigation, which currently involves 100 officers. The case is expected to continue for four to six months. Another meeting, for the parents of former pupils, will be held on Thursday.

The Chid Pornography Online Helpline says the case is unusual in the number of children involved and the fact that the suspect operated alone. A spokesman said "although it's not unusual for child pornography collectors to have as many as 100,000 photographs these days, that's usually the result of exchanging material. This man seems to have taken tens of thousands of photographs by himself."

Photo from Flickr