A Dutch paedophile found guilty in The Gambia of raping two girls under the age of 18 in 2010 and 2011 is to face a fine but not be imprisoned reports AllAfrica on its website.

At the Special Criminal Court in Banjul, the man - Andre van Roy - denied six counts of indecent exposure and rape. The court found witness accounts and medical evidence conclusive, but dismissed two counts of committing an indecent act under the Tourist Act as frivolous, saying the man was not a tourist as he was a former resident of the country.

According to the victims, the man seduced the girls by exposing himself and promising them bicycles and mobile phones. The defence requested leniency in the case on the grounds that the accused was a first time offender and had a medical problem. As a result, Van Roy was not given a custodial sentence. Instead he was fined 100,000 Gambian Dalasi (approximately 2,600 euros) and ordered to pay the victims the same amount. If he defaults on the payments he could face ten years in prison.

(nc/tf/imm)

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