A 65-year-old man from Assen groped several female colleagues for years at the sheltered workshop where he worked. This made his victims feel unsafe for a long time. According to the court, management intervened too late.
The women, some of whom have an intellectual disability, were pinched in their breasts and buttocks by the men in their sixties. He also hit a colleague on her breasts, causing bruises. During the eleven years that the man worked at the factory, he received several warnings for sexual misconduct. He was fired in July last year.
Borders crossed
During the substantive hearing of the case, the man admitted that he had crossed boundaries. In two cases there were witnesses to the unwanted groping. According to the court, the statements clearly show that there was intent, the man attacked his victims by suddenly touching them. In doing so, he seriously compromised the physical and mental well-being of women.
The assaults took place over a period of five years. According to the court, the insecurity that his victims felt could continue for years because the management did not act adequately. The judges did not find sufficient evidence for an attempt to touch a woman between her legs.
Community service and reporting obligation
According to the man’s lawyer, he has PDD-NOS – an autistic disorder – and difficulty understanding social relationships. According to the court, that is no excuse. “He knew he was doing something he wasn’t allowed to do.” The man in his sixties will receive 150 hours of community service, equal to the demand of the Public Prosecution Service. He is sentenced to a suspended prison sentence of 2 years, with a probation period of 3 years. He must also continue to report to the probation service.