Judge on Bonaire hands man suspended sentence after relationship with 15-year-old girl

KRALENDIJK – A man from Bonaire was convicted on 12 December 2025 of repeatedly committing indecent acts with a 15-year-old girl. A child was born as a result of the sexual contact, which took place at the end of 2023. The Court of First Instance of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba imposed a fully suspended prison sentence of 12 months.

The suspect, born in 1996, had sex with the girl on multiple occasions in November and December 2023. The girl, born in 2008, was 15 years old at the time. The man himself was 27. The girl became pregnant and later gave birth to a child. Sexual contact with anyone under the age of 16 is a criminal offence under the Criminal Code BES, even if the sex was consensual.

The report was filed in August 2024 by a caseworker from Youth and Care Caribbean Netherlands, without the knowledge of the victim or her family. The suspect was arrested in May 2025 and spent 11 days in pre-trial detention. At the hearing on 11 and 12 December 2025, he fully confessed to the facts.

Family does not want a prison sentence

The victim and her family repeatedly made clear that they did not want the man to be prosecuted or to return to prison. The suspect contributes financially to the care of the child and maintains contact with him or her. He also ended his relationship with the girl once he became aware of her exact age.

The public prosecutor demanded a prison sentence of 18 months, of which 12 months suspended. The Court deviated from this demand and from the standard sentencing guideline, which for this type of offence indicates an unconditional prison sentence of three years, and imposed a fully suspended sentence instead.

Sentencing considerations

In determining the sentence, the Court took several mitigating circumstances into account. The girl was already 15.5 years old at the time of the offences, there was no dependency relationship or coercion, and both parties described the relationship as friendly and the sex as consensual. Furthermore, when the suspect learned that the girl was pregnant, he immediately took responsibility by making arrangements with her father and social workers.

The Caribbean Netherlands probation service reported positively about the suspect. He has no prior criminal record. The Court ruled that the 11 days of pre-trial detention and the suspended sentence carry sufficient signal value for the community on Bonaire: sex with someone under 16 is a criminal offence and carries consequences. The probationary period is two years.