A LATVIAN-BORN Dutch paedophile has been jailed for 18 years for abuses against more than 60 children, some of whom were just months old at the time of the abuse.

The paedophile, dubbed the ‘Monster of Riga’ and referred to in court only as ‘Robert M’, was also ordered to undergo involuntary psychiatric treatment for an indefinite period.

He had worked in nursery schools as well as a freelance babysitter, and most of the abuse victims were toddlers though some were just weeks old. Robert M, 29, was convicted of abusing 67 children.

He was arrested in 2010 after tip-off from US authorities who came across an image of a child they believed might be Dutch, according to Dutch press. The photo was later shown on a crime programme in the Netherlands, which led to M’s arrest.

During today’s sentencing hearing, M threw a glass of water at the judge and shouted him to “shut his mouth”; the judge calmly wiped his papers with a handkerchief and continued reading the sentence.

“The manner and long period of misbehavior, the pain done to the young victims and their families, the calculating method of operation, the betrayal of trust, the collecting and sharing of visual material, the advice given to other pedophiles, the attempt to share an available child in exchange for money, all these things have done great damage to justice,” said Presiding judge Frans Bauduin.

Bauduin also said that M’s expressions of remorse were not credible.

The paedophile’s husband, identified in court as ‘Richard van O’, was sentenced to six years for complicity in the crimes because although he did not participate in them, he knew about the abuse and failed to report it to the authorities.

- Additional reporting by the AP