This afternoon, the Public Prosecution Service demanded a 2-month prison sentence, including 1 month conditional, against an 18-year-old from Leiden. According to the Public Prosecution Service, he threatened two party leaders with death in personal messages. The summary court judge gave an immediate verdict.
On Wednesday, October 22, early in the morning, the suspect sent a message to Denk party leader Stephan van Baarle. In it, he wrote that he would knock out the politician, drag him into a van, hang him, and cut him open. He called the party leader a filthy cancer Muslim. The Public Prosecution Service does not consider this message a criminal threat, but one with a discriminatory character.
When the suspect was arrested, investigation of his phone revealed that a month earlier he had also sent a message to GroenLinks-PvdA party leader Frans Timmermans. He said he would kill him and advised him to watch his back carefully, security wont help you. The Public Prosecution Service considers this message a criminal threat.
Unacceptable
Politicians must be able to do their work unhindered and without restraint. That is the foundation of our democracy. Especially in the run-up to elections, a time when party leaders must campaign publicly, threats against them are unacceptable. To make this clear, the suspect, who was recently convicted of violent offenses, was immediately brought before the summary court judge.
The Public Prosecution Service takes into account the suspects age and personal circumstances but considers it an aggravating factor that he did not take responsibility, refused to cooperate with probation services, and that one of the messages had a discriminatory tone.
The Public Prosecution Service demanded 2 months imprisonment, including 1 conditional. The judge gave an immediate verdict and sentenced the suspect to 30 days imprisonment, of which 25 days conditional, and a community service order of 30 hours.
