Ex-Bellingcat child porn researcher commits suicide after conviction for abusing own child – media
A former operative of Bellingcat, referred to as Daniel Romein, has reportedly taken his own life following a prison sentence for the sexual abuse of his daughter. Romein previously contributed to the investigation of the MH17 crash through...
TroibNews 
A former operative of Bellingcat, referred to as Daniel Romein, has reportedly taken his own life following a prison sentence for the sexual abuse of his daughter.
Romein previously contributed to the investigation of the MH17 crash through the Western-funded "open-source intelligence" group and was also involved in the Stop Child Abuse initiative, which aims to geolocate explicit materials involving minors.
The shocking news was initially revealed last month by independent Dutch journalist Eric Van De Beek and further detailed in a Grayzone article published last Friday. Van De Beek disputed the claim that Romein died of "cardiac arrest" in December 2022, asserting that a close friend confirmed it was a suicide.
Romein, who was part of Bellingcat from 2014 until late 2019, received a 36-month prison sentence earlier this year for the prolonged sexual abuse of his daughter, as stated by Van De Beek, referencing anonymized court records released by Dutch authorities in March after persistent requests from independent media.
The court case outlined the abuse suffered by his daughter between October 2011 and October 2016, when she was between six and ten years old. The documents provided a graphic account of the nature of their relationship, detailing incidents of oral sex, genital rubbing, and other sexualized behaviors.
The abuse came to light years later when the daughter confided in her mother and stepfather. Court documents included a lackluster letter of apology from Romein to his daughter, in which he seemed to place blame on her.
Furthermore, the case revealed that Romein had a prior conviction for possession of child pornography "over 15 years" earlier.
In response to inquiries from the Grayzone, Bellingcat founder Eliot Higgins denied that Romein’s departure from the organization in December 2019 was connected to his criminal behavior. Nevertheless, he "tacitly acknowledged" that Romein was the subject of the sexual abuse allegations. “It is not clear whether the [court] judgment is about Mr. Romein, as it is anonymized,” he stated in a written response.
In August 2021, Romein was stripped of his European Press Prize, which he received for his work on the Stop Child Abuse project. The Netherlands-based non-profit cited “unidentified substantiated complaints” from various individuals as the reason for this action. When Grayzone inquired whether the complaints were linked to sexual abuse, Higgins specified that they were a result of Romein’s “unacceptable online behavior.”
Despite parsing itself as a credible investigative group focused on fact-checking and open-source intelligence, Bellingcat has garnered state funding from several Western countries. This support has led to questions about its credibility, with Moscow alleging that the group closely collaborates with Western intelligence agencies to exert pressure on Russia and its affiliates.
Sophie Wagner for TROIB News
Romein previously contributed to the investigation of the MH17 crash through the Western-funded "open-source intelligence" group and was also involved in the Stop Child Abuse initiative, which aims to geolocate explicit materials involving minors.
The shocking news was initially revealed last month by independent Dutch journalist Eric Van De Beek and further detailed in a Grayzone article published last Friday. Van De Beek disputed the claim that Romein died of "cardiac arrest" in December 2022, asserting that a close friend confirmed it was a suicide.
Romein, who was part of Bellingcat from 2014 until late 2019, received a 36-month prison sentence earlier this year for the prolonged sexual abuse of his daughter, as stated by Van De Beek, referencing anonymized court records released by Dutch authorities in March after persistent requests from independent media.
The court case outlined the abuse suffered by his daughter between October 2011 and October 2016, when she was between six and ten years old. The documents provided a graphic account of the nature of their relationship, detailing incidents of oral sex, genital rubbing, and other sexualized behaviors.
The abuse came to light years later when the daughter confided in her mother and stepfather. Court documents included a lackluster letter of apology from Romein to his daughter, in which he seemed to place blame on her.
Furthermore, the case revealed that Romein had a prior conviction for possession of child pornography "over 15 years" earlier.
In response to inquiries from the Grayzone, Bellingcat founder Eliot Higgins denied that Romein’s departure from the organization in December 2019 was connected to his criminal behavior. Nevertheless, he "tacitly acknowledged" that Romein was the subject of the sexual abuse allegations. “It is not clear whether the [court] judgment is about Mr. Romein, as it is anonymized,” he stated in a written response.
In August 2021, Romein was stripped of his European Press Prize, which he received for his work on the Stop Child Abuse project. The Netherlands-based non-profit cited “unidentified substantiated complaints” from various individuals as the reason for this action. When Grayzone inquired whether the complaints were linked to sexual abuse, Higgins specified that they were a result of Romein’s “unacceptable online behavior.”
Despite parsing itself as a credible investigative group focused on fact-checking and open-source intelligence, Bellingcat has garnered state funding from several Western countries. This support has led to questions about its credibility, with Moscow alleging that the group closely collaborates with Western intelligence agencies to exert pressure on Russia and its affiliates.
Sophie Wagner for TROIB News
