An 18-year-old man from Assen was sentenced to 90 days in juvenile detention in court today, of which 67 days were conditional. The sentence is for robbery, attempted robbery and assault.
Because the suspect has already spent 23 days in pre-trial detention, he will probably not have to go back to jail if convicted. In addition, the Public Prosecution Service demanded a community service of 90 hours.
According to the public prosecutor, the Assen resident robbed an 18-year-old boy of his coat at the bus station in Assen late in the evening on Boxing Day. The suspect allegedly addressed the victim with the words: “Nice coat, give me your coat,” while keeping his hand in his left coat pocket. The victim thought the man had a weapon and handed over his jacket.
CCTV footage then shows a man running away with a jacket in his hand. A little later he jumps on the back of a girl’s bicycle, after which they disappear together.
The suspect came into the picture again after an incident on January 7 in the center of Assen. Two boys stated that they were hit with a bicycle lock by a man who wanted their shoes.
The boys managed to escape and fled bleeding to a friend’s home, from where the police were called. The victims were treated in hospital for a head wound.
According to the victims, their attacker was accompanied by a girl who stayed in a residential facility. Officers went there and found the suspect, who also lived at the facility. The police also recognized him as the man who was captured on camera images of the earlier robbery at the bus station.
During the hearing, the suspect acknowledged that he recognized himself in the images, but denied stealing the jacket. According to him, he was wearing his own jacket, which he allegedly left on the bus earlier. The public prosecutor called that statement unbelievable.
The jacket that the suspect was wearing at the time of his arrest is said to match the stolen jacket. The man stated that he had bought it from a friend, but could not substantiate this.
He also denied the attempt to steal the two boys’ shoes. The assault with the bicycle lock is said to have happened in self-defence. “I don’t believe that,” the prosecutor said. According to the Public Prosecution Service, the suspect “has no respect for other people’s property”.
The judiciary did see indications that the young man from Assen is trying to improve his life. According to the prosecutor, he is now adhering to the conditions imposed and appears to have “repented”. In addition to the required sentence, according to the prosecutor, he must also perform an outstanding community service order of 20 hours.
The court will make its ruling on May 26.
