Artist Cora W. from Tilburg has been convicted of defamation and insulting alderman Marcelle Hendrickx and journalist Ralf Bodelier. She will receive 60 hours of community service and another 60 hours if she commits another offense. She also has to undergo treatment and she has a restraining order.
It is the second time that W. has been convicted of harassing Hendrickx and Bodelier. The first time she received a suspended prison sentence. “One more word wrong and you’ll be in jail!” said the judge menacingly. But because it has now been established that W. is less responsible, that prison sentence has been converted into community service. And on top of that comes a new, suspended community service because she has continued as before.
“I hope that peace returns.”
For Hendrickx, the conviction feels like a recognition: “For the feeling of discomfort that I have and the burden that my family and I had. I hope that peace will return with this.”
Mayor Theo Weterings of Tilburg also responds to the conviction. According to him, the statement is heartening to drivers: “It emphasizes that drivers must be able to do their job in freedom. This kind of intimidating situation, which also affects the family life of drivers, is unacceptable.”
“You appear in my dream with a knife.”
The court cases showed how intense the continuous stream of threats and insults was for the victims. “It got under my skin. I have lost my open-mindedness”, Hendrickx said in the first court case.
Bodelier also felt threatened: “You appear in my dream with a knife and a bottle of hydrochloric acid. You’ve done me a lot of damage.”
“I’m completely destroying myself.”
The artist herself said about her actions: “I have to stop doing this. It’s self-destructive, I’m destroying myself.” But the chance that she really stops is small. “I don’t know what will happen to me tomorrow,” she told the judge. And indeed, a day after the last lawsuit, she again sent tweets about the case, in which she portrayed herself as a victim.
Psychologists have examined Cora W.. Their conclusion is that she suffers from delusional disorder and narcissistic personality disorder. The court therefore also imposes compulsory treatment on W.. But she won’t get a ban on the use of social media. The judge believes that Cora W., like everyone else, should keep the right to express herself through social media.
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