“What was supposed to be a pleasant day celebrating freedom ended in an explosion of violence,” said the Public Prosecution Service today in court in Zwolle. A 32-year-old man from Deventer appeared alongside a 22-year-old woman from Zutphen for assaulting, among others, a bus driver and police officers. This occurred on May 5.
On that day, a shuttle bus was on its way to a festival for Liberation Day. The bus driver on duty addressed several passengers about the fact that they were not allowed to smoke on the bus and asked them to leave the vehicle. At that point, a 32-year-old suspect from Deventer completely lost it: he assaulted the bus driver by hitting him.
Subsequently, his violence and anger were also directed at a fellow passenger who rushed in to stop the assault. This person also received a blow. The suspect then left the bus.
Outside, the Deventer man got into a struggle with several police officers. The 22-year-old female suspect was also involved. She is being prosecuted today for, among other things, assaulting a police officer, attempting to assault multiple police officers by kicking towards their heads, and insulting officers.
“This is about excessive violence against emergency workers,” the public prosecutor stated today during the justification of the sentence demand. “This involves, even in the case of the bus driver, individuals with a public task. The suspects undermine respect for order and safety with their behavior.”
The two were arrested on May 6. The woman was released from pre-trial detention on May 9, while the man is still in custody. They were brought today before the police judge via expedited proceedings.
The Public Prosecution Service demanded a prison sentence of 4 months for the 32-year-old male suspect, of which 2 months are conditional with a probation period of 3 years and special conditions. For the 22-year-old woman, the Public Prosecution Service demanded 30 days of imprisonment - of which 26 are conditional - with a probation period of 3 years and a community service of 60 hours. The Public Prosecution Service requested acquittal for the attempted assault on multiple police officers.
The judge immediately ruled: the sentence for the man is a prison term of 4 months, of which 3 are conditional and with special conditions. The woman received a community service of 100 hours, of which 50 are conditional, with a probation period of 3 years.