Four youths have been arrested on suspicion of mistreating residents at a nursing home in Oudenaarde, East Flanders, according to reports from the provincial prosecutor's office.
Local police received a report on 7 March about stolen jewellery at the Meerspoort Residential Care Centre in Oudenaarde. An 18-year-old student working part-time at the care home was identified and arrested as a suspect. On examining his smartphone, police discovered disturbing videos showing vulnerable residents being subjected to aggression and humiliation.
The Oudenaarde municipal council mentioned “signs of unacceptable behaviour towards several residents.”
The Office of the Public Prosecutor opened an investigation and appointed an investigating judge. The 18-year-old was charged and arrested for theft, degrading treatment, and voyeurism.
Further investigation identified the victims and additional possible suspects, leading police to arrest three other individuals: the suspect’s 20-year-old brother, a 19-year-old man, and a 21-year-old woman. They were also brought before the investigating judge and detained on the same charges.
On Tuesday, police conducted a search of the care home as part of the investigation.
The four suspects appeared on Tuesday before the court in Oudenaarde, where their detention was extended by a month. The OPP has refrained from further comment but confirmed that the four individuals knew one another. It remains unclear whether the videos were distributed beyond the group of suspects or if there were more victims.
