A 40-year-old man from Hardenberg is a prison sentence of 180 days above the head for mistreating his then partner and freedom of liberty in Emmen, of which 152 days are conditional. In that case he would not have to go back into the cell, but should perform a 160 -hour community service, according to the public prosecutor.
At the beginning of February 2023, the man was lifted from bed in the home of his mother in Emmen. He lived there at the time. The agents were there in connection with a community service that was still open. In addition, the sister of his then girlfriend had also sounded an alarm. There was no more contact and she had the idea that the woman was in a difficult situation. The agents found the suspect and the girlfriend in the bedroom. The woman looked dazed and vibrated like a straw.
The agents managed to speak the woman alone for a moment. She begged to be removed from the house. She had a relationship with the suspect for eight months. She has been mistreated for months and was no longer allowed to leave the house independently, she said. The Oud-Emmenaar denies. According to him, the woman is struggling with traumas and he is very caring for her. This is inconsistent with what the mother and sister of the complainant say.
According to them, she was isolated. The suspect had the woman’s phone in his possession. “I got it voluntarily,” the man said. It is his word to hers, the public prosecutor said. But he saw plenty of different evidence. In the phones of the woman and suspect were photos of the woman with visible bruises. The man has been convicted three times before for domestic violence.
He has been in custody for 28 days and has been wearing an ankle band since he is free. “As a result, he has been freedom of freedom for 20 months,” said the public prosecutor. The suspect is also complying with the location and contact ban all the time. That works to his advantage, says the prosecutor. The man’s lawyer argued for acquittal, because there is too little evidence. The requested claim for damage of 5,000 euros would also have to be taken off the table as far as he is concerned.
The ruling is in two weeks.