Boy arrested in Delft after three women reported unwanted touching near the Kruithuisweg

Police in Delft arrested a boy under 18 near the Kruithuisweg on Saturday 17 October, after three young women reported being touched on the buttocks in the same area. Police said he could possibly be linked to those reports and to a case of indecent exposure, and that his involvement was being investigated.

What police said

On Thursday 15 and Friday 16 October, three young women told Delft police that an unknown young man had tapped them on the buttocks near the Kruithuisweg. Police stepped up patrols in the area straight away.

Those patrols led to the boy’s arrest on the evening of Saturday 17 October. He was first arrested under the Dutch identification law, the Wet ID. After further investigation, police said, he could possibly be linked to the three reports and to a case of indecent exposure. In their statement of 19 October, police said he was being held for questioning and that his involvement was under investigation.

Police also received a report from a young woman whose bag was pulled hard by an unknown man. The statement does not link that report to the boy.

Current status

When DDN checked on 2 November, the police statement still showed 19 October as its last update, and DDN found no later police or prosecution update on the case. DDN could not confirm whether the boy is still being held or whether any decision on prosecution has been made.

Council debate on Thursday

Separately, Delft’s city council meets on Thursday 5 November at 20:00, and its discussion begins with the safety situation in the Delftse Hout recreation area. Hart voor Delft, Onafhankelijk Delft and the PVV are considering motions on lighting and a more targeted safety approach, according to the council’s preview. Mayor Pechtold is responsible for the item on the agenda.

That debate follows earlier, separate assaults in the Delftse Hout and Den Hoorn. Neither the preview nor the agenda mentions the Kruithuisweg, and the police statement about the Kruithuisweg reports does not mention those earlier cases.

At a committee debate on 1 October, which took more than two hours, councillors asked about lighting, sightlines and supervision on routes through the area. Alderman Frank van Vliet said the city’s starting point is that residents can travel door to door along a well-lit route, even if that means a detour in the evening.