He was supposed to help children and youths who had been sexually abused and the victims of incest. But instead, the 63-year-old leader of a Skanderborg institution for abused children sexually abused a number of the children he was hired to protect.

The accused man, who had nearly 20 years of experience working as the head of the now shuttered institution Elverkær, will remain in custody until his trial begins.

“He is a former institutional supervisor and the case involves abuse of children and young people who have been placed at the institution,” Uffe Villumsen, the deputy police commissioner for special investigations in south-east Jutland, told Jyllands-Posten newspaper.

The police were not providing any further information ahead of the trial, which is to begin today and will likely be held behind closed doors.

“We are unable to release more information at present time due to the further investigatory ramifications in the case,” Villumsen said.

Elverkær institution was closed in 2010 because of suspicions that the defendant had a sexual relationship with one of the children placed there, according to Skanderborg Council's mayor, Jørgen Gaarde (Socialdemokraterne).

“In 2010 there were suspicions about a sexual relationship between the leader and one of the kids,” Gaarde told tv2.dk. “Our staff reacted to this information by firing the man and reporting the case to the police. That must be the reason for the police reaction [yesterday].”

Gaarde had initially indicated that the reasons for the closure of the institution had no sexual connections, but he has since recanted and said he did not want to dwell on the council’s efforts in the case.

“We should be careful about saying that we’ve done a good job,” Gaarde told tv2.dk. “But we are exposed to an environment in which people sometimes commit criminal offences against children.”