It seems that Marco Borsato has been canceled for years for nothing. The fornication case against him bursts like a bubble. “Stop John van den Heuvel’s dubious double role campaigns!”
In retrospect, it is unprecedented how firmly John van den Heuvel stated that Marco Borsato is guilty of fornication with an underage girl. The Telegraaf journalist helped turn public opinion against the singer to such an extent that a return as an artist was considered virtually unthinkable. So cancelled.
Acquitted
If John says it, then it must be so, many people thought. Well, four years of cancellation later, John appears to have simply stirred up the matter: Marco has just been through the court acquitted for fondling an underage girl. “Touching legs and buttocks above clothing is not fornication,” it reads judgement.
Bart Swier, Ali B’s lawyer, already predicted the acquittal. The diary of the complainant in question, A. Thielen, cannot serve as supporting evidence at all, he emphasized. Bram Moszkowicz repeatedly mocked Bart on television for that reason – according to him that is possible – but the fallen criminal lawyer from Shownieuws is wrong.
Diary
An accusation cannot be proven solely on the basis of the statement of one witness, in this case that of the complainant. There must always be other evidence, or supporting evidence. At the hearing, fragments were played of a conversation between mother and Marco that the mother secretly recorded, the so-called ‘bag-on-the-table conversation’.
In that conversation, the mother confronts him for the first time with the discovery of the diary in which the alleged fornication is described. The court rules that Marco does not confess to the accusation at any time in this conversation and it is therefore not supporting evidence. And that also applies to the diary.
Notebook
In reality it is not a diary, but a notebook with a short passage about Marco. “The court says that a handwritten passage describing lewd acts by a complainant cannot in principle be supporting evidence, because it concerns the same source,” said the court. court.
Furthermore, the court makes comments on the note in question. “Research shows that it cannot be determined when the passages were actually written down. It is also not clear where and when the actions mentioned were allegedly committed.”
Red head
All in all, Marco has been acquitted and that makes him very emotional. “The singer reacts emotionally to the acquittal. He takes a deep breath and leaves the hearing room with a red face. His lawyers follow behind,” said court reporter Saskia Belleman. X.
Walking to the court, the singer already indicated: “I haven’t slept. This case has been going on for me for more than six years, so I am longing for an end. In any case, I have the feeling that the court has listened carefully and read the file carefully. I think that is a condition.”
John gets wet
Now that Marco has been acquitted, John van den Heuvel’s credibility is under serious pressure. “Acquitted but still a lot lost, what an injustice for Borsato. I hope that the Telegraaf will also put an end to the dubious double role campaigns of John van den Heuvel,” says face mask villain Sywert van Lienden on X.
TV critic Victor Vlam agrees. He quits X: “John van den Heuvel is really going completely crazy. From the beginning he was committed to a conviction of Marco Borsato. He suggested that there were several victims and that Borsato had made a confession. That was not correct. This was bad journalism.”
Not a strong case
Victor had already predicted the acquittal. He was criticized for the way he made mincemeat of the matter. “The case against Marco Borsato was simply not a strong case. The judge is clear and firm. The supporting evidence was not convincing. The fact that the Public Prosecution Service left him dangling with such a weak case for four years is truly scandalous.”
“I have been saying this since the first day of the hearing with the public prosecutor’s indictment. I have received a lot of criticism for it, including from the Today Inside table. But in fact my analysis was correct.”
Radio stations
The big question now is: how should Marco be rehabilitated? Media journalist Jarco Kriek on
When leaving the court, Marco himself says: “This only produces losers. My career has been irreparably damaged. I hope to be able to continue with my life. It has been at a standstill for six years and I feel the need to look ahead again.”
Does he want to perform again? “That’s really too early for me.”
To Eva?
If Marco actually wants to perform again, he cannot avoid giving a major interview on television. Victor says: “The question now is which talk show Marco Borsato will be in. No doubt he has already been approached by all editors. My guess would be Eva. As a woman, she can best rehabilitate his image.”
He concludes: “If Marco Borsato announces a new concert tomorrow, I will buy tickets. And I say that as someone who is not a fan of his music. What happened to him is really terrible.”
Fragment
Marco leaving the court: