A 37-year-old man was sentenced today by the Public Prosecution Service to 240 hours of community service, including for attempted aggravated assault on an officer in Bussum. The man is suspected of deliberately driving into a police officer two years ago, after he was chased for reckless driving. He was under the influence of alcohol at the time.
The man drove through various streets in Bussum in the evening on April 22, 2021, after he had drunk a lot of vodka and whiskey. In doing so, he hit a cyclist, drove into a front yard, damaged several cars and ignored the police stop signal.
When the man came to a stop after driving into a hedge, the police managed to get him out of the car. One of the officers walked to the car, after which the man probably deliberately drove into him. The suspect could not remember this moment because of the amount of alcohol he had consumed.
The officer was able to prevent himself from being hit, but he did have PTSD from this, he said emotionally in court today. “I feared for my life. After the incident I suffered from anxiety and panic attacks.” He was then unable to work for more than half a year.
Birthday daughter
The suspect said he wanted to visit his daughter, who had turned 5 the day before. His ex-partner does not allow him to see her anymore. Why that is, it was not clear today.
The man says several times that he regrets the incident. The Public Prosecution Service is demanding 240 hours of community service and a four-month suspended prison sentence. The suspect of the officer must also pay 2250 euros to the victim.
The judge will rule in two weeks.