Serious assault on officers and fuel embezzlement: Public Prosecution Service demands imprisonment and compensation

News report | 14-01-2026 | 14:11

On November 4, 2023, in the town of Thorn, a police officer intended to stop a car due to suspicious driving behavior. A chase followed in which the suspect was boxed in by two police officers. One of the officers stepped out and already had a leg against the inside of the opened door. The officer did not fully exit. The sound of the engine revving and the calls of her colleagues to not get out stopped her. The suspect then drove hard with his car against the right side and the drivers door of the officers service car. In this way, he managed to escape. The officer pulled back her leg just in time. The OM holds the view that the suspect consciously accepted the significant risk that the officer could suffer serious bodily injury.

Head-on

Soon after, the suspect drove through Thorn towards Wessem. Then he turned his vehicle and drove back towards Thorn over the bike path. The police unsuccessfully tried to force him to stop, and then the suspect drove head-on into the vehicle in which another police officer was also sitting. The police arrested the suspect and his passenger. The prosecutor at the hearing said: The victim saw that the suspect kept driving with a stone face. He braced himself and felt the car crash very hard into his vehicle. The airbags were activated, both cars caught fire, and both the suspect and the officer were briefly unconscious. Under these circumstances, there was a significant risk of serious bodily injury.

Embezzlement

In addition, the OM charges the suspect with fuel embezzlement. Camera footage shows that the suspect refueled earlier that day but did not go inside to pay.

Demand

The OM believes that boxing in a suspect is also a risk for the police, which they are officially willing to take. The suspect did not stop but, according to the OM, chose at several moments to continue his dangerous driving behavior. In doing so, he created two victims. The OM: Although officers are more resilient than the average citizen due to training, this kind of violence heavily burdens police officers in their functioning and it never becomes normal. This behavior is therefore unacceptable. The OM demands six months in prison for the three offenses with credit for time served. The OM also demands compensation for both victims.

The court will give its verdict in this case in two weeks.