Steven van de Velde
| Steven van de Velde | |||||||||||||||
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Van de Velde in 2020 | |||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | 8 August 1994 The Hague, Netherlands | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 6 in (1.99 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Beach volleyball information | |||||||||||||||
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Honours
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| Conviction | Rape of a child under 13 (3 counts) | ||||||||||||||
| Criminal penalty | Four years in prison | ||||||||||||||
Capture status | Released on licence after serving 13 months | ||||||||||||||
| Details | |||||||||||||||
| Victims | 12-year-old girl | ||||||||||||||
| Date | 2 August 2014 | ||||||||||||||
Steven van de Velde (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈsteːvə(ɱ) vɑn də ˈvɛldə]; born 8 August 1994) is a Dutch beach volleyball player. He was convicted of child rape in 2016; in 2014, when Van de Velde was 19, he raped a 12-year-old British girl, after contacting her on social media, travelling to Britain to meet her, and giving her alcohol. He returned to sport in 2018 and participated in the 2024 Summer Olympics, with the Dutch Olympic Committee standing by their nomination despite a petition calling for him to be removed. The same year, he won a bronze medal at the 2024 European Championships.