Nov 15, 2023 at 5:13 PM Update: an hour ago
On Wednesday, the Amsterdam court imposed 120 days of youth detention, of which 91 days were conditional, on a man for assaulting a man at the Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA station. The case caused quite a stir because images showed the victim being pushed onto the tracks.
The nineteen-year-old man was not involved in pushing the man onto the track, but admitted that he had punched and kicked him. The reason is said to have been a kiss given by the victim to a minor friend of the suspect.
The suspect provided explanations in the Amsterdam court on Wednesday and showed remorse. His openness and contrition were appreciated by the court, which was one of the reasons why it immediately ruled. “Then you no longer have to be in suspense,” said the judge.
The man said that he went to the Bijlmer ArenA station with friends on May 5 this year. Once he arrived on the platform, he saw a friend and a boy unknown to him. The friend told the suspect that a man had kissed him on the corner of his mouth. The three boys went to seek redress and that quickly resulted in violence.
“I punched him, I missed and then the man pulled my hair,” he said. “And I kicked him too.” When the suspect was shown images of the assault, he had to determine together with the court that he had thrown more blows than one.
Victim never reported to the police
What could also be seen in the images was that the suspect ran away when a now significantly larger group attacked the victim and pushed him onto the track. “When others started to get involved, I walked away,” said the suspect. He said about the images: “I thought it was a shame to see it myself. I don’t think it’s possible and I regret it.”
Looking back on that day, the suspect said he shouldn’t have done it. “I should have controlled myself.” An expression of regret that was considered sincere by the Public Prosecution Service (OM). The public prosecutor therefore demanded 120 days of juvenile detention, of which 91 were conditional.
A demand that was accepted by the court with a probation period of two years. It is an incident of violence that has had a major impact on society, according to the judge, “and that deserves punishment. On the other hand, you did not beat around the bush and admitted after viewing the images that it was you.”
What weighed in the man’s favor was that he has no criminal record and has not previously been in contact with the police or the judiciary. He gives part of his salary to his mother to help cover the costs at home. Because the man had already been held in pre-trial detention for some time, he was able to go home after the hearing.
The victim was never heard from again. He has not reported to the police and his whereabouts are unknown.
2023-11-15 16:13:45
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