Nov 10, 2023 at 3:11 PM Update: 17 minutes ago
The Public Prosecution Service (OM) is demanding a conditional prison sentence of one month against the officer who shot at a tractor in Heerenveen during a farmers’ protest last year. The Public Prosecution Service suspects him of attempted manslaughter. The sentence is subject to a probationary period of one year.
Sixteen-year-old Jouke from Akkrum, Friesland, was in the tractor that was shot at. The officer shot because he thought the tractor was going to hit him. The bullet hit the steel of the cabin at head height, narrowly missing Jouke.
“Jouke was very lucky,” said the prosecutor. He believes the officer should not have fired. “The suspect was not driven into. He may have thought so, but it was not actually the case. He really could and should have acted differently.”
The public prosecutor had hoped that the suspect had said that he should not have done it. According to the Public Prosecution Service, he could also have said sorry to Jouke and his family.
The suspect has not yet done that. He did say during the hearing on Friday that he should not have shot, but with what he knows now. “In retrospect, I shouldn’t have done it. Only then will you know what exactly happened. But that is hindsight,” the officer said during the hearing on Friday.
The public prosecutor sees it as “shooting out of powerlessness”. He can imagine this “to a certain extent”, “but of course it is never allowed”.
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Police shoot targeted at farmers’ protest in Heerenveen
Case with a lot of emotions
According to the Public Prosecution Service, it is a case with many emotions. Jouke and his family are still receiving therapy a year and a half after the incident to deal with the incident. “Our world has been turned upside down,” Jouke’s mother said.
After the shooting incident, people started looking for the identity and home address of the suspected police officer. For that reason, the suspect was not in the courtroom on Friday, but was present via a video connection.
Only those directly involved and journalists were allowed to be present in the courtroom. The public could attend the hearing in other rooms. They couldn’t see the suspect there. Only his voice could be heard through a voice changer.
The judge is expected to make a ruling on December 1.
Nov 10, 2023 at 12:02 p.m
Officer about shooting at tractor during protest: ‘I shouldn’t have done that’
Image: ANP
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2023-11-10 14:11:00
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