Two women, best friends of each other, stood before the judge in Den Bosch on Monday. One was so angry about a comment from the other that she wanted to take revenge. She called in another friend and together they made the life of the victim from Asten miserable. The revenge went so far that both suspects were sentenced to 100 hours of community service by the judge on Monday for stalking and fraud.
It started with a comment during a lunch, according to one of the women. The two friends, one from Asten the other from Nuenen, were talking about the son of the victim. About him still being single. “Maybe he wants a boyfriend instead of a girlfriend,” said the suspect from Nuenen. The victim then replied that gays and vegetarians were not allowed at her home. It hurt the friend enormously, because her daughter likes women and reacted very sad.
“That you can judge someone like that.”
Her mother: “I was so angry that you can judge someone like that. Something had snapped in me as a mother.”
She discussed the statements with another friend from Asten. He was hit by it too. And there was already the necessary anger in this woman. “We were always said to be simple and boring.” She also said that her ex-boyfriend was indirectly called a pedophile by the victim. The two women are out for revenge. And that revenge went much too far, both admitted in court on Monday.
The victim was shocked when two police officers suddenly appeared at her work at childcare in April 2022. Letters were delivered to ten addresses in Asten. Those letters alleged that child pornography had been found in her family. “I was shocked,” the victim told the police judge. “And I had to go ask my sons. Tell me, did you do something? Did you look something up?” To hear a resounding no.
“We were under tension throughout the party.”
The family filed a report. There were more anonymous letters, to employers and even to the police. The women behind this also sent a letter to the address where the family wanted to celebrate a 25th wedding anniversary. It was said that there could be unrest. That uninvited guests would come. “We were under tension throughout the party.” And that while the perpetrator was there. They danced together. They are in the picture together. The victim was clueless.
Orders were also placed in the name of the family. For example, barbecue meat for fifteen people was delivered a number of times. Or flowers and pizza. The victimized family became increasingly frightened. They were afraid of getting into financial trouble because of all the orders. No one knew who was behind all the misery, but the family knew that they were acquaintances. “I was staring at people at parties, is it you?”, the father of the family told the court.
Eventually, the police arrest a suspect. When the victim heard it was her best friend, she didn’t believe it. “That just couldn’t be done,” the victim sobbed in court. “I was always taught that you can talk anything out. You don’t do something like that when you’ve known each other for 35 years.”
“You almost seem to have enjoyed it?”
The public prosecutor and the judge were surprised at the communication between the female suspects during the revenge expedition. They became frustrated because the victim’s family did not show anything to the outside world. “I am disappointed that the action has no effect, we are doing our best,” they even reported. The judge: “You almost seem to have enjoyed it.”
The impact on the victim and her family was great. They trusted no one anymore. “There was a lingering fear,” the victim said. “When would something come again?” According to her, not only her family suffered, but also the relatives of the two perpetrators. One of the women now sentenced. has been ‘banned’ by in-laws and is moving from Asten to Geldrop.