B. |
I first want to ask you a few questions about your
contact with Ferdinand. |
S. |
Yes, that's fine. |
B. |
Then I want to ask some questions about the photo
sessions with Fred V. and last about your experience
with the police. If there are things you
cannot remember then say so. Also, if you
don't want to give an answer then feel free to say
so. How did you first meet Ferdinand? |
S. |
Uh ... Ya. My parents
were divorced and my mother had a new boy friend,
and I often went and stayed overnight with the
sister of the boy friend. She was called
Elly. One day Elly said to me "Let's go
to the nude swimming at the Heiligeweg207
baths," and I said, "Fine, I'll come
along" and Ferdinand also came with us.
He was a friend of Elly's and so I got to know
Ferdinand via Elly. Now, it was really
nice. It clicked straight away. Just
diving from the diving board and playing with a ball
in the water. For some time after that I
didn't go swimming. Then one day Elly said,
"Come, let's go and visit Ferdinand because his
wife is having a birthday." I said,
"Great, terrific." And then Elly
added, "You had better watch out for Ferdinand
because he's pedophile." Now, I was
pretty well up with the times when it came to
sex. I knew about all kinds of sexual things.
|
B. |
How old were you then? |
S. |
I was 11, about. |
B. |
And you say that you knew a whole lot about sexual
things? |
S. |
Yes. I've never had sex education or such
like. I learned everything myself, or saw it,
or did it. |
B. |
Before Ferdinand did you have contact with a
pedophile? |
S. |
No. But I knew that it existed. I
didn't know the name 'pedophile' yet. But I
knew that 'man with young child' was also
possible. That I knew. The word not, but
certainly what it was. |
B. |
What did you think when Elly said that? |
S. |
Nothing actually. I wasn't shocked, and
then she said, "He sometimes has relationships
with young children." And then she added,
"mostly boys." I didn't
respond. Then we went to the birthday
party. Now, for the whole evening I followed
Ferdinand around, of my own will. At that time
I was crazy about Andre Hazes, that is a singer, and
I kept asking, "May I put this tape on?"
and that sort of thing. When Ferdinand went to
the kitchen I went to the kitchen. When
Ferdinand went into the bedroom, by way of speaking,
I also went into the bedroom. I followed him
the whole time. Then from my own initiative I
said, "I'll come one day and visit."
After that we went home. For a while after
that I didn't stay overnight with Elly, but then
later on a few more times.
|
|
One day Elly had to go away and she couldn't have
me to stay for the night. She then asked me,
"Would you like to go and stay the night with
Ferdinand, because I have to go away?" So
that is what I did, without informing my
mother. And after that I went again for a few
weekends in a row. And then I told my mother.
"Listen, I'm not staying the weekends with
Elly. I've been sleeping over with
Ferdinand." Then she asked, "Who is
Ferdinand?" And so I told her, "He
is a friend of Elly's. It is really nice with
him. We go swimming in the weekend and that
sort of thing." And my mother asked
further, "What sort of person is
that?" And I said, "Just an ordinary
person." The next weekend I told
Ferdinand what I had said at home and then Ferdinand
said, "Yea, I would like to speak to your
mother. Do you mind?" And I said,
"Uuh, No." And so that was done as
agreed. And that is how I got to know
Ferdinand. |
|
Before that discussion I did not visit Ferdinand
for a very long time. Certainly half a
year. I didn't stay with Elly and I didn't
stay with Ferdinand. I just went my own way
with my friends and so on. One day I was
playing football on the street and I was acting a
bit crazy, singing really loud on the street and
having fun. Then I heard a car horn, a claxon,
and I looked around and it was Ferdinand. He
had seen me. I ran immediately to him and then
I made a date and then I went to visit him. |
B. |
Why had you not been to see Ferdinand for half a
year? |
S. |
I don't know. Just that I was too young to
follow up my agreements. I just went my own
way and if I felt like going to Ferdinand then I
went to Ferdinand and if I didn't feel like it I
didn't go.
|
B. |
Did your mother know that he was pedophile? |
S. |
After the discussion that Ferdinand had with her
for sure. He told her himself. |
B. |
And how did she respond? |
S. |
My mother said, "I can't forbid
anything. I can see that Stephan has improved
at school and in his behavior at home."
And I had improved. And then my mother said,
"I can't forbid it because he will go secretly
to him anyway, and it is his life after
all." That's what she said. |
B. |
But you had only stayed overnight with Ferdinand a
few times. That seems rather fast to me to
have improved at school and in your behavior at
home. |
S. |
No. It had been more often. About 10
times. Thus I had slept with Ferdinand for,
say, about 10 weekends without telling my mother. |
B. |
And after that not again for about six months? |
S. |
Ya. Something like that. |
B. |
Then you started again? |
S. |
And then I started again and then Ferdinand told
my mother what it was all about. I don't
remember precisely how many weekends that must have
been, but my mother said that I had improved after
that discussion she had with Ferdinand.
|
B. |
What kinds of things did you do with Ferdinand at
that time? |
S. |
In the beginning period, with him at home, just
ordinary games. Ya, ordinary games at home
with Ferdinand, and we also went to entertainment
parks, for example the Efteling.
|
B. |
Did that happen in the initial period? |
S. |
Yes, also. That has been so all
along. That always went on. In the
beginning we also went swimming frequently.
And if I had to study, to finish my home work, then
Ferdinand helped me. Yes, that was really
great, everything put together it was great.
|
B. |
Why did you stay over the weekends with the sister
of the boy friend of your mother? |
S. |
I just wanted to. My mother sometimes went
away for the weekends and then she would say,
"Why don't you go and stay with
Elly." And I never had any problems with
that because Elly went swimming often and that was
fun.
|
B. |
And Ferdinand took over that role? |
S. |
Do you mean that I went to stay over the weekend
with him because of my mother? No. I
just went because I thought he was really
nice. Because at that time I saw in Ferdinand,
because my parents had just been divorced, I saw a
sort of father person, and I took hold of that very
hard. At that time I really needed that, and
as it happened, I preferred to be with Ferdinand
than with Elly. In the beginning that had
mostly to do with the swimming, because that was
fun, but also because I thought Ferdinand was really
nice. But after that I began to see a real
father figure in Ferdinand. From then on I
have always had that. Still now. |
B. |
Can you remember any more things that you did with
Ferdinand? |
S. |
Yes. This is about the initial period,
huh? What we did at that time we have always
done, actually. From the beginning to the
end. Doing things with Ferdinand became a
normal routine. We both had fun and we saw
that we liked each other's company. We went
swimming, and after that we went into the sand dunes
in Noordwijk or in Castricum. And we often
played hide and seek with other kids, or played
football. They were friends of mine or other
kids we had met in the swimming pool.
Sometimes we bought French fries first and then went
to the dunes or to the sea. At that time I was
also in a football club and Ferdinand sometimes came
along to watch the football. |
B. |
Did Ferdinand pay for the French fries and those
sorts of things? |
S. |
Sometimes I had money with me and then I paid
everything for myself. |
B. |
Did you have sex with Ferdinand? |
S. |
Yes. |
B. |
From the beginning? |
S. |
Uh ... No. From about
two months, three months. I guess you want to
know how it started? It just happened
naturally. I was a nudist and so I slept
naked. Ferdinand also, and I felt myself
attracted to him. We played games sometimes,
for example, helicopter. I'd sit on
Ferdinand's belly and he'd jiggle to and fro and he
would say something like, "Wind force
ten", or "Wind force one." I
would get such a warm feeling inside. It came
up in myself, and then everything went along like in
any relationship between and man and a woman, for
example. The first night that we had a sexual
contact, that was a real cuddling208
session. By cuddling session I mean stroking
each other and then Ferdinand sucked me off.
When that happened such a strange feeling went all
the way through me that I began to cry. I
didn't regret doing it, but the crying suddenly came
up, and then Ferdinand comforted me and then he also
began to cry. He even shouted out, "What
have I done?" He was actually
shocked. He was rather badly shocked that I
was crying. And then we talked about it, and
then there wasn't a problem any more. After
that the sexual contact went on quite naturally.
|
B. |
Did you have an orgasm then? |
S. |
Apparently yes. I was 11 years old and
... Look, I certainly knew what an orgasm was
but I didn't yet have any sperm. But I'm sure
that was an orgasm because such a tingling went
through my whole body. I'm sure. And
from then on the sex went on naturally of its own
accord. |
B. |
Playing games had become a habit with
Ferdinand. Did the sex also become a habit? |
S. |
Yes, you could put it that way. Sex had
become just as common between us as in any
heterosexual relationship. Thus, not that we
had sex every night or every day. But yes, it
was part of our relationship. To a greater or
lesser degree it strengthened our bond.
|
B. |
For how long? For at a certain time the sex
stopped. |
S. |
Yes, because at a certain stage you think to
yourself, "What am I actually
doing?" You choose your own way, being a
boy. And I must honestly say, in that end
period I had a strong feeling of, "What on
earth am I doing?"
|
B. |
Guilt feelings? |
S. |
No! But rather more a feeling of, "You
are now doing something really important. Am I
homosexual or heterosexual?" But I felt
in myself at that time that boys turned me off, so I
knew that I was heterosexual. I also had girl
friends, so that also played a role. Ferdinand
was actually the one who helped me build up my
experience and from my side I had sex with Ferdinand
for the daring and excitement, but also out of love. |
B. |
Love for Ferdinand? |
S. |
Love for Ferdinand, yes. |
B. |
Is Ferdinand important for you? |
S. |
Very important! And he still is. As a
friend, as a father. No longer in the same way
as before, I mean with the sexual contact. But
still, a really very good friend. I say to my
girl friend sometimes if I haven't seen or spoken to
Ferdinand for a week, "Listen, I must call
him." And then I call him and then it's
good again. Yes, I talk often with him and
it's really great to be with him. Because I
still have in Ferdinand a father figure.
Ferdinand really picked me up in a terrific
way. I have learned lots from him, I've had
many experiences and I've done lots of things with
Ferdinand. I have learned something about
human nature from Ferdinand. And other
important things in society, responsibility, how to
go about with money. I still don't do that very
well, you know, it just didn't stick with me.
But, you know, that sort of thing. The
important things in life. Before Ferdinand I
didn't know about any of these things and through
him I have discovered them. Also, I always
say, "I didn't have a childhood until I met
Ferdinand. Then I received my
childhood." And that is really how it was
because before that I had so many problems. |
B. |
What are the negative aspects of your contact
with Ferdinand?
|
S. |
Not one! That is very easy to say. Not
one. |
B. |
No? That seems rather black and white. |
S. |
Ah no. Absolutely not one! |
B. |
What do your parents think about your contact
with Ferdinand?
|
S. |
As far as I am now concerned I don't care what
they think. But in those days they thought,
"So long as nothing happens." But I
wanted it all myself. So I left them with the
delusion that everything went according to what they
wanted. In fact I never really asked them for
their opinion. |
B. |
But you were 11, a rather small boy, and the
opinion of your parents at that age is certainly
important. |
S. |
I was up with the times. I was 11,but I had
the thoughts of a 14- or 15-year-old. There
was thus a big difference between me and other kids,
I think. |
B. |
Did you feel that you got a raw deal at home? |
S. |
A very raw deal, yes. Very raw. |
B. |
Therefore you can say that Ferdinand filled your
need for attention and love. He came as a
rescuer at a moment of need? |
S. |
No. He was not a rescuer at a moment of
need. I mean, not in that sense. OK, it
was chance and luck that I met him, but the
relationship between Ferdinand and myself was no
emergency solution. It was something in its
own right. I have never regarded the situation
as such that only when I had a problem I could go to
Ferdinand. I have always seen our relationship
as something along the lines of, "Hey, it's
fine to go to Ferdinand." And with
feelings such as, "My friend and my father in
one." Yes, a parent of mine. |
B. |
What did your friends at school think of your
contact with Ferdinand? |
S. |
No one knew about it. I am no longer at
school, but no one knew about it. |
B. |
What can you tell me about the photo sessions with
Fred? |
S. |
Which photo sessions? Do you mean the
ordinary holiday photos, or if we had to pose and
that sort of thing? |
B. |
I don't know anything about them. What can
you tell me? |
S. |
The holiday photos were just ordinary. There
were always things such as, for example, a great
huge balloon. Photos were taken while we were
playing. Fred and Ferdinand took the
photos. And for the rest there is nothing much
to say. |
B. |
But there were also child pornography photos? |
S. |
I wasn't there. At least, I did have one
photo session with porno. That was with a boy
from Belgium. And, we both found it exciting,
and we just did it because we were really good
friends. It was fun and exciting for us
both. Fred made those photos. He didn't
say, "Sit here. Do this. Do
that." It was altogether done out of our
own free will and at the same time some photos were
made. |
B. |
And the boy from Belgium, where did he come from? |
S. |
He was Fred's little boy friend from Antwerp, if I
have it right. We were together on holiday in
Yugoslavia with a whole group. It was a big
rabble, it was gigantic fun. |
B. |
How often have you been in Yugoslavia with
Ferdinand? |
S. |
Yugoslavia, that was from 1981 to 1986 or
1987. Say, about six years. And once to
Spain, to Benidorm. Johnny has also been
there. We weren't there together. I had
been two or three years earlier than Johnny, because
I knew Ferdinand longer than Johnny. |
B. |
How long did you go for? |
S. |
Varied. Two weeks, three weeks. |
B. |
What are the positive aspects of the photo
sessions with the boy from Belgium? |
S. |
It was all rather a big joke. It was daring,
and exciting. Still it was a bit frightening,
the idea, "What would my old man think of
this?" But then again it was also fun. It
was a dare for both of us. |
B. |
How old were you then? |
S. |
I don't know any more. Let me think. I
think I was about 13 or 14,about. |
B. |
What are the negative aspects of the photo
sessions? |
S. |
The negative aspects. The fear that the
police might raid Fred and that the photographs
would then be seen. |
B. |
How long have you had that fear? |
S. |
Not really long. Shortly after the photo
session. Sometimes it came back to me, we've
done this and that. And then the fear would
come up again and I'd think, "Hopefully there
won't be a raid." And for the rest there
weren't really any negative aspects. |
B. |
Do you think that your ignorance was exploited? |
S. |
What ignorance? |
B. |
Your innocence over the possible consequences of
the photo sessions. |
S. |
I didn't even stop to think about it.
Afterwards for sure. That was the fear. |
B. |
Can you tell me how you came in contact with the
police? |
S. |
I went one evening to Ferdinand and I had a good
talk with him about problems that I had at home at
that time. I had been kicked out of the house
because of problems I had with my parents. I
have had problems with my parents all my life, for
that matter. About twelve o'clock I left
Ferdinand's place. Between half past twelve
and half past one the police came and took Ferdinand
with them to Utrecht.
|
|
Just before they arrested him, he was helping
me. Just think about that! And he knew
that the police might be coming. I didn't know
that. That's the kind of friend Ferdinand is! |
|
I heard it about a week later. I don't
remember precisely any more. I received a
letter from Ferdinand's lawyer and there he said
that Ferdinand had been arrested and that his house
had been turned upside down. That really cut
into me because I also felt guilty that I was not
there, at the time that Ferdinand was taken away. |
|
After that my mother got a telephone call from the
police in Utrecht. "We want to talk to
you and also with your son." Then my
mother made an appointment. I had to be at
school on that day and I didn't want to stay home
for that. They gave me a time, about three
o'clock, when they would come and pick me up from
school. I told the concierge, "At three
o'clock I will be picked up by some
friends." I obviously couldn't say police
detectives, and at three o'clock they came and I was
taken to Utrecht. Hardly anything was said on
the way. I only asked them why I had to go. |
|
So, I was taken to Utrecht, and I ended up in the
little interrogation room and I had to talk.
You don't come for nothing into such an
interrogation cell. And then they started
putting questions to me and I answered or didn't
answer. Actually, I had nothing to do with the
case for which Ferdinand had been arrested. In
fact, they were putting questions to me about which
I knew nothing. The porno photos — I didn't
know anything about them. We also just talked
some. Then there was a break, to eat, and
after that we carried on talking. And then
they took me home. |
B. |
Did you have any further contact with the police? |
S. |
No. |
B. |
Ferdinand was eventually sentenced because of
indecent assault, not for the pornography. The
porno was made by Fred V. |
S. |
Yes, I know. |
B. |
What are the positive aspects of your contact with
the police? |
S. |
Hey? I don't see anything positive!
How so positive!? There weren't any positive
aspects. After all, they had arrested my
friend and I was angry. And everyone has some
fear of the police and I had that too at that time. |
B. |
What are the negative aspects of your contact with
the police? |
S. |
That they put their questions in such a way that
you had to think 10 times before you gave an
answer. They said, "You can go ahead and
tell us everything because the others have already
told it all." And also the double edged
questions. They tell you something and then
give the answer themselves, and you have the
inclination just to agree with them. I mean,
they don't ask fair questions like, "Is it
possible that this or that could have
happened?" and that sort of thing. They
use all sorts of dirty tricks and methods so that
they actually already have come to their
conclusions. That is very unpleasant. |
|
They also interrogated my little brother.
And he told them all kinds of lies about indecent
assault and so on, "Yes I had to go and stand
and there was a row of 10 other people, all men, and
I had to choose who I would go to bed with,"
and also, "I have often been away on vacation
and I've often been to the amusement
parks." Those are the sorts of things my
brother said which were totally not true. My
brother has never been a friend of
Ferdinand's. He once stayed overnight at
Ferdinand's but nothing happened. He was then
a little kid of 10, and the police just took in
everything he said because he was so young.
That is a very negative point. In that way the
police made their own conclusions, such as,
"Yeah, this and that happened and so this must
have also happened." And that is actually
really very bad. |
B. |
What did your parents think of it? |
S. |
I don't know. I hardly have any contact
with my parents. The only contact we have goes
something like this, "Ferdinand phoned,"
or "Ferdinand has been through this or
that"' or "The solicitor told me this or
that"' and then I reply to my mother, "Now
I shall call myself," or, "I'll write to
him." My mother sometimes asks, "How
is it going with Ferdinand?" Luckily I
now live with my girlfriend, for one and a half
years now.
|
B. |
How is it going? |
S. |
Real crazy, man. Our house is almost
finished. Soon we are getting a new settee and
dinette. It is really going fine. Now
and again we have an argument, but that is normal in
a relationship. Everyone has that once in a
while.
|
B. |
Back to Ferdinand. Why did you continue
writing letters and telephoning Ferdinand while he
was in jail? |
S. |
Why not? He is my friend, so I am concerned
about what happens to him and I want to know how he
is doing because he is my friend. I want to
know how he feels. I wanted to know what they
were doing and what would happen next. Just my
concern. And also out of love, naturally,
because it really hurt me. Look, it didn't
affect me so badly as Johnny. Johnny was
really lying awake at night. I couldn't do
that because I had too many problems of my
own. And I regret that at the time Ferdinand
was arrested and in jail, that I had so many
problems that I was not always up with the
latest. Certainly with the main part, but not
the details. That I really regret. But I
wrote to Ferdinand in order to keep in touch and
because I also wanted him with me. And thanks
to the letters he was, in a way, always with me.
|
B. |
How have you been able to carry on you friendship
with Ferdinand after his release? |
S. |
My relationship, or rather, our relationship
continued because we love each other. That is
why. And ... that is why. |
B. |
Has your relationship with Ferdinand changed since
his release? |
S. |
The sexual contact was already over. But the
spiritual contact, talking with each other and doing
things together, that was still there. Look, I
don't go every weekend to see Ferdinand because
... I have my own life now, and I have my girl
friend. We have our own lives and many things
to do. But whenever I come to see Ferdinand it
is always comforting and friendly. |
B. |
Has your contact with the police changed your
ideas about the police? |
S. |
I am not frightened of the police any more.
Police agents are, after all, also people. I
now know that the police also make mistakes, many
mistakes. I have seen how the police work and
I realize what they are like. They are just
ordinary people. If I was arrested today, it
doesn't matter what for, I would just remain
calm. I am not afraid any more. |
|
(The tape recorder was switched off at the end
of the interview. Stephan then asked if he
could make a final statement and the tape recorder
was switched on again.) |
S. |
I have something more to say. First; I hope
Ferdinand and I stick with each other for a very
long time, keep seeing each other for a very long
time, just as friends, talk to each other as real
friends. I am glad that I got to know
Ferdinand. I still see him as my father.
Still now, even though I now live in my own
place. Secondly; I don't want to have anything
more to do with Fred. He said, "the
photos won't be published in booklets and
magazines." Then he went and did that,
without Ferdinand's knowledge. I take that
very badly. He always said, "Only
Ferdinand will get to see these photos," and
then he went and gave then to total strangers and
because of that Ferdinand was arrested. It's
because of him that this whole case got started, and
I take that very badly. Because of that I want
to have nothing more to do with Fred. That was
it. |