For almost ten years they were at the mercy of a father who saw himself as the new Messiah.
In a case that shocked the Netherlands, Gerrit-Jan van Dorsten allegedly locked nine of his children in the family farm in a remote Dutch village, in the apparent belief that he was preparing them for a new society called Eden.
There it was alleged that he sexually abused two children and repeatedly abused the others.
This week, the award-winning Dutch TV documentary series about the saga was broadcast on the BBC and released entirely online.
It contains testimonies from the four eldest children who chose to break away from their father’s influence; the other five have chosen to remain loyal to him.
Son Shin, 31, tells viewers in the third episode how the “worst experiences were the strangulation,” where the father reportedly kept his grip on his son’s throat until “you thought you were dead.”
Meanwhile, his 30-year-old daughter Mar Jan tells how she was always afraid that he would ‘give her a good beating’ and ‘scream very loudly’.
In a case that shocked the Netherlands, Gerrit-Jan van Dorsten allegedly locked nine of his children in the family farm in a remote Dutch village, in the apparent belief that he was preparing them for a new society called Eden. Above: The cultist with his wife and some of his children in the 1990s
One child reportedly lived in a dog kennel for a whole year at the age of 13 after his father told him he was bad.
Van Dorsten, once a member of South Korea’s Moonies sect, was arrested on suspicion of holding his children against their will but was declared unfit to stand trial in 2021 after suffering a debilitating stroke.
The case came to light in October 2019 when Van Dorsten’s son Israel, who was 25 at the time, escaped from the farm and told staff at a bar that his family needed help.
The Hidden Children of Ruinerwold Farm was first released in the Netherlands in 2021.
Filming began shortly after the family was found by police.
Speaking about his father’s alleged abuse, Shin, who left the family in 2009, said: ‘As far as I can remember, looking back, the worst experiences were the strangulation.
“He strangled you until you thought you were dead, and then he let go.
‘So you were gasping for air, he did that regularly. And he went through phases. At some point he started hitting you on the head, always in the same spot.”
Van Dorsten is said to have sexually abused two of his children and repeatedly abused the others. Above: The farm where he locked up his children
The documentary – which was filmed five weeks after police raided the family farm – shows footage of Van Dorsten’s tirades against his children. One moment you see the mother smiling as he aggressively stimulates them
The children look terrified as they are spoken to by their domineering father
Son Shin, 31, tells viewers in the third episode of The Hidden Children of Ruinerwold Farm how the “worst experiences were the strangling,” where the father reportedly kept his grip on his son’s throat until “you thought you were dead used to be’
Meanwhile, his daughter Mar Jan, 30, tells how she was always afraid he would ‘give her a good beating’ and ‘scream very loudly’
The case came to light in October 2019 when Van Dorsten’s son Israel, who was 25 at the time, escaped from the farm and told staff at a bar that his family needed help.
Van Dorsten allegedly sexually abused his son Edino, now 28, after telling him that the spirit of their deceased mother had entered him
He adds, “And somehow the worst was when I came home from school and had sexual feelings for girls or something.
‘He saw it, and then I had to take a cold bath.
‘I still hate cold water, maybe a lot of people do. But it would take so long that I would come out of the bath half lame.’
When asked what the ‘worst’ that could happen is, Mar Jan, who left the family in 2008, says: ‘That he would give you a good beating.
‘He was always walking back and forth in the room and could shout very loudly and look very angry. And sometimes he would scream in your face.”
Van Dorsten is said to have sexually abused his son Edino, now 28, after telling him that the spirit of their deceased mother had entered him.
His wife Maria had died twenty years earlier, but when she was alive she seemed to accept his bizarre behavior.
The documentary – which was filmed five weeks after police raided the family farm – shows footage of Van Dorsten’s tirades against his children.
One moment you see the mother smiling as he aggressively stimulates them.
Van Dorsten had told in old images how he tried to create a personal paradise where his children could live.
This meant there was little to no contact with the outside world, although his three eldest children were allowed to go to school.
In 2021, a court ruled that a 2016 stroke had so severely affected the father’s ability to communicate and understand that continuing the case would violate his right to a fair trial.
He was accused of depriving the children of their liberty between 2007 and 2019 and of ‘hitting, kicking and refusing food and drink’.
Café De Kastelein in Ruinerwold where Israel van Dorsten drank five pints and raised the alarm
In videos posted to Facebook, Van Dorsten was seen using a homemade rowing machine
Under the pseudonym ‘John Eagles’ he filmed himself doing stretching exercises in the garden of his farm
In June last year, an Austrian handyman was jailed for helping Van Dorsten isolate his children.
The man, identified only as 61-year-old Joseph B. due to Dutch privacy rules, played an ‘essential role’ in the deprivation of liberty.
He bought groceries for the Dutchman and even rented the farm on his behalf.
He had a “different role” than the father, but there was “sufficiently close and conscious cooperation” between them to show that he was also guilty, a Dutch court ruled.
Israel’s first alarm was raised when he walked into the bar in Ruinerwold, drank five pints and then told staff that his father had been holding him and his siblings captive for years.
Corinne Jeekel, a lawyer representing the eldest four children, told NOS they were disappointed with the decision.
“It is a great pity for the clients that there will be no criminal judgment,” Jeekel told NOS in March 2021.
However, the rest of the family stood behind their father.
The farm where Van Dorsten is said to have held his nine children captive
“The youngest five children are very happy,” lawyer Robert Snorn told local broadcaster RTV Drenthe.
Prosecutors said at the time that the children were free to choose their own futures, even if that means returning to a life of isolation.
“Over the past year and a half, the children have been able to get to know our society, participate in it and receive spiritual and medical care,” they say.
“If, now that they have tasted the alternative, they still choose to live in seclusion with their father again, to practice their faith… then that is their choice.”
In 2019, it emerged that Van Dorsten had used Facebook to post a series of photos and videos about his life and to rant about good and evil.
The clips also showed him using a homemade rowing machine while classical music played in the background.
Under the pseudonym ‘John Eagles’ he filmed himself doing stretching exercises in the garden of his farm.
All four episodes of The Hidden Children of Ruinerwold Farm are available on BBC iPlayer.
The third episode will air on BBC Four on Tuesday, October 31.