The Public Prosecution Service demanded on Thursday in the court in Zwolle a community service of 180 hours and a conditional prison sentence of two months against a 50-year-old suspect from Hardenberg. The man is suspected of stalking two families from Hardenberg from late 2021 to November 2023. He allegedly threw condoms, eggs, and beer bottles over the fence. He also smeared the fence with substances like paint and red cabbage. The police received a total of 72 reports from these families. The prosecutor stated: “All those reports together have caused the families to feel trapped and unsafe, and still feel that way, in their own home. And that is understandable and relatable.”
Where people first thought of isolated harassment, it became increasingly clear that there was a connection. Since early 2022, there has been good contact with the police, and all incidents have been reported. Surveillance footage shows a person committing multiple acts of throwing beer bottles, condoms, eggs, and smearing fences with paint. The person in the footage bears a strong resemblance to the suspect, based on clothing and manner of walking, according to the Public Prosecution Service.
The suspect admitted to a limited number of facts to the police. According to his own statement, he acted out of dissatisfaction with wrongful accusations after a neighborhood investigation. He only confessed to these facts after being confronted with the fact that his DNA had been found. He claims that all other incidents must have been committed by another suspect. The prosecutor finds that explanation implausible. Based on surveillance footage, the manner in which the harassment occurred, witness statements, and inconsistencies in his statement, the Public Prosecution Service believes that the harassment by this suspect can be proven legally and convincingly.
The stalking had and continues to have a significant impact on the victims. The prosecutor stated: “They still look over their shoulders when they leave the house. They still do not feel comfortable in the garden. They still jump at unexpected noises near the house, while that is the place where you should feel safe. And that is exactly what makes stalking so serious.” The prosecutor motivated her sentencing request as follows: “I think it is important that the suspect feels that there are consequences for his behavior. I also think it is important to give the suspect, even though he has not shown any stalking behavior since his arrest, a warning. On the one hand, because it fits the duration and intensity of the harassment. On the other hand, because it cannot be predicted what emotions this hearing and ultimately the verdict will evoke. Now that the question of why has never been answered, I see a risk of repetition.”