The Public Prosecution Service of North Holland demanded today 200 hours of community service and a suspended prison sentence of two months against a 37-year-old man from Opmeer for threatening a train conductor in Obdam on December 6 last year. Violence against employees with a public task is an aggravating factor. The conductor was just doing his job and must be able to trust that he can do this safely, said the prosecutor.
Threat
The victim began his shift in the afternoon as the chief conductor at NS. Shortly after the train left Hoorn, he checked the train passengers. One of the passengers turned out not to have a valid ticket. The conductor then instructed the passenger to leave the train at the next stop, Obdam station, to buy a ticket. The man disagreed. A verbal altercation ensued, during which the man assumed a threatening posture, stood directly in front of the conductor, and grabbed him by the throat. The man also shouted that he was going to stab the conductor. The conductor managed to break free, walked away, and reported the presence of an aggressive passenger to the control room.
Arrest
Shortly thereafter, the man approached the conductor, initially to apologize, but when the conductor said he still had to get off to buy a ticket, the man became angry again and used threatening language. He also kicked the train door, tried to pull the emergency brake, and punched a glass to use the emergency door control. This caused the train door to open, after which the man exited and walked off the platform. The police were able to arrest the man shortly thereafter in Obdam. Even during transport to the police station, the man continued to misbehave.
Sentence
Based on witness statements and camera footage on the train, the Public Prosecution Service has established that the suspect has committed (death) threats against the conductor by grabbing the victim by the throat and threatening him with the words Im going to stab you. The Public Prosecution Service also believes that the suspect committed an attempted strangulation of his girlfriend on May 22 of this year and resisted arrest. The Public Prosecution Service demanded a community service of 200 hours and a suspended prison sentence of two months with a probation period of two years. The magistrate acquitted the suspect of the attempted strangulation of his girlfriend but found the resistance to his arrest and the threat to the conductor proven and sentenced the suspect to 120 hours of community service, half of which was suspended with a probation period of two years.