A court in Den Bosh has extended the preventive custody of a swimming instructor accused of assaulting and raping pupils. The judge ordered Benno L. (surname withheld) to remain in jail until December in view of the gravity of the charges and the likelihood of a repeat offence. The instructor's attorney had requested a temporary release from prison saying that his client had already been condemned, without any proof, by the media and the justice system.

The instructor is suspected of having indecently assaulted at least 98 girls and of possessing and distributing child pornography. Last week the prosecutor also accused him of raping an underage girl. During the first court session, it emerged he had made a confession to the police, admitting to having had sex with a large number of underage girls. He also offered his apologies.

Police are still sifting through the pornographic material found on the teacher's computers, and say it will take until the end of December before everything has been checked.

Many parents of Benno L's pupils are expected at the court, which has set aside two viewing rooms equipped with video screens for people who want to follow the proceedings over the coming weeks.

Benno L. specialised in giving swimming training to children with social or mental handicaps, and worked at several pools in the southern Dutch city of Den Bosch. He was arrested in June after a computer repairman he called in had found suspicious material on his hard disk and reported his discovery to the police.