A 51-year-old man from Gieten is suspected by the Public Prosecution Service of raping an asylum seeker during his work as a team leader at Vluchtelingenwerk. This became apparent on Monday during a hearing at the court in Groningen.
The suspect did not appear at the hearing. The court then decided to postpone hearing the case. The man must be present in person at the next hearing, the judge ruled.
According to the Public Prosecution Service, the alleged rape took place between June 2022 and November 3, 2023 in Stadskanaal. The suspect denies the accusations. His lawyer, Ronald Knegt, stated that the case had hit his client hard and that he could not mentally cope with coming to court.
The prosecutor said he was surprised by the suspect’s absence. According to her, there are still questions about the serious suspicion. She also pointed out that the complainant was accompanied by the suspect at the time. According to the Public Prosecution Service, there was a relationship of dependency.
The court indicated that it wanted to hear the suspect himself about the evidence in the case. This includes app conversations, witness statements and statements from both the complainant and the suspect.
The judge ruled that the suspect must come to court himself at the next hearing. The court did not consider an order for police escort necessary at this time. It is not yet known when the case will be heard again.
