Dutch child molester gets 18 years in jail

A Dutchman who confessed to the sexual abuse of 83 children was sentenced to 18 years in prison and involuntary commitment to a psychiatric facility. Robert Mikelsons was sentenced Monday by a court in Amsterdam for the abuse of the children, some of whom were just a few months old, Radio Netherlands Worldwide reported. Mikelsons abused the children while he worked at an Amsterdam daycare center. After being arrested in 2010, he confessed to sexually abusing 83 children at the daycare and taking photographs and videos of the abuse. Prosecutors sought a 20-year prison term plus involuntary commitment to a psychiatric facility, however, the court sentenced Mikelsons to 18 years. Mikelson's partner, Richard van Olffen, was sentenced to six years in prison for complicity in the abuse. The court ruled Olffen knew what Mikelsons was doing and played a "facilitating" role.