The court in Den Bosch convicted one of the organizers of the Highland Games in Geldrop on Friday for the death of a 65-year-old man. The man receives a community service order of 140 hours, of which 70 hours are conditional. The 52-year-old Belgian arranged the Highland Games. He should have ensured that no one could enter a nearby castle garden during the event. There Jan was fatally struck by a hammer. The other suspect was acquitted.
On August 7, 2022, Jan walked with his wife through the flower garden at Geldrop Castle. On the other side of the hedge the Highland Games were in progress. Things went wrong during the so-called ‘hammer throw’. During this throw, in which a stick with a metal ball attached to it is swung, something went wrong and the ball ended up on the other side of the hedge. Jan was hit full on the chest and died on the spot.
The judge ruled that both men were involved in the organization. But that they are not both responsible. One was much more expert in organizing Highland Games than the other.
Tommy B. in charge
Tommy de B. from Hulst of the Highland Games Federation Netherlands is therefore punished and Robin B. from Eindhoven, who as a self-employed person took care of the marketing for the Village Marketing Geldrop-Mierlo foundation, is acquitted.
“Tommy B. is accused of manslaughter. He helped build the course. He also explored the terrain in advance and judged that the hammer throwing could take place on too small a field. He should have been aware of the dangers and should have taken more safety measures based on his experience. He also did not do enough on the day itself to ensure that the hammer throwing took place safely,” the judge said.
In addition, the court blames Tommy for not ensuring that the castle garden was properly closed. “In fact, he stated that he saw people walking in the garden during the match,” the judge said. “It can be expected that he would have taken responsibility at that moment and would have ensured that the garden would still be closed and that it would be continuously monitored.
Acquittal for Robin B.
According to the judge, Robin B. may have acted carelessly, but due to lack of experience he was not guilty. Robin relied on Tommy’s expertise.
After the bizarre accident, various parties pointed to each other as to who was responsible for safety and permits. Even during the trial, people pointed fingers at each other all the time.
“They both never wanted this accident. But you can blame them for holding this event in a place that is far too small and not taking proper care of safety. After all, hammer throwing is very dangerous,” the Public Prosecution Service said earlier. Both are also accused of not having applied for a permit, which they should have.
Relatives angry
During the hearing of the case on March 6, Jan’s widow addressed the two men. “The Highland Games belonged to everyone until things went wrong,” says the widow. The daughter has someone from victim support read a statement. “I am incredibly angry. It seems as if everyone is passing off responsibility. If everything had been in order, my dad would still be here.”
A community service order of 100 hours was required against Robin B., and 140 hours against Tommy de B. That requirement was higher because Tommy had knowledge of the Highland Games and should have known better. Robin is therefore acquitted and Tommy receives a community service order of 140 hours, of which 70 hours are conditional.
