Swiss paedophile in Thailand jailed for 16 years

While Thailand is considered a paradise by tourists, for many local children it is a hell Keystone

A Swiss man accused of abusing more than 80 children in Thailand for over a decade has been fined and sentenced to 16 years in prison by a Swiss court. He will also be forced to undergo psychotherapy. 

The court in Gruyère, canton Fribourg, on Thursday found him guilty notably of human trafficking and sexual acts with children. He had also been accused of exploiting them in order to take pornographic images and for prostitution. 

During his trial, the prosecutor had said the 72-year-old from Lucerne had acted with perversity and contempt, denying the humanity and dignity of the children, some of whom were only ten when first abused. 

The man had already been convicted for abuse of minors in cantons Fribourg and Valais in 1980 and 1991. He fled Switzerland but was tracked down to Thailand by Valais police. 

After serving his sentence in Switzerland, he returned to Thailand in 1996. The majority of his criminal acts were committed between 2002 and 2013. He forced his victims to perform sexual acts on each other, on him or on European clients who visited his bar, which included a hotel room.

No remorse

The prosecutor said only three of his victims had the opportunity to be represented by lawyers, who had demanded compensation of CHF40,000-CHF50,000 ($42,280-$52,850) for moral injury. 

On Thursday, the court said the man would have to pay the three victims compensation, but an amount was not revealed. 

The court said the man had treated his victims as goods and sex toys and had never shown any remorse.