“It is not normal to ring a bell with complete strangers and not at all to bang on the windows afterwards,” the judge said about the behavior of young teenagers in Gieten. But to then deliver severe blows as an adult is simply punishable.
For open violence in their street on October 12, 2024, a man (48) and a woman (58) from Gieten were sentenced to 40 hours of community service. Both were startled that evening by banging on their windows. Lights were also shined inside. It had been restless in the street for quite some time, the man explained to the police judge on Monday.
The neighborhood suffered from loitering youth. Discussions were already underway with a local police officer. “The police have started a task package with VV Gieten and Dr. Nassau College with a view to youth hanging around the church and Eexterweg,” the man said.
There were not only calls, but also threats and heavy fireworks, the man outlined. That October evening, an ‘army of hoodies in black’ stood in his garden.
The man walked outside. He said he bumped into a boy on his bicycle. He pulled the hood off the boy’s head and shouted, “Who are you?” According to witnesses, the boy was pulled from his bicycle and immediately beaten.
When the child was on the ground, a woman kicked him in the side. “We only learned afterwards that he was 13 years old,” the woman said. They never intended to hurt anyone, she said.
Two employees of a shawarma shop removed the victim’s husband. The suspect said that he was beaten by the employees. He did not report this, he told the judge.
The suspects believe that there is more going on than just that evening in October. “You are still experiencing inconvenience. That is extremely annoying. But this is about what you are both accused of.”
The public prosecutor demanded 90 hours of community service. The judge said he wanted to take more account of the reprehensible behavior of the youth. He moderated the punishment.