Two Amelanders have received community service for coercion and threat because they have intimidated employees of Powned. They wanted to report on the traditional Sunneklaas party on the island in December 2023. The police judge in Leeuwarden spoke the youngest of the two, Jesse V., free from open violence. The other suspect, Rob K., was acquitted of threaten with violence.
The two men waited with a group of other islanders to the Powned employees when they came from the ferry. After Jesse V. had jumped on the hood of the car in which the broadcasting staff were, the driver gave gas and escalated the situation. It was experienced as threatening by the Powned employees. Among other things, a chase led to a collision, the judge considers that the 24-year-old V. caused it.
Journalists were hampered in the free exercise of news gathering
“This situation has been very threatening for the passengers and has also ensured that the journalists are hindered in the free exercise of news gathering,” the judge said.
The element of coercion is in, among other things, the way in which an attempt has been made to stand still to stand still by the car by driving on the road before they out and inhibit them.
V. and the 33-year-old Rob K. were involved. The latter receives a hundred hours of community service. Jesse V., who, according to the Public Prosecution Service, would have actually hit the PowNed car, gets 120 hours. This collision, which was denied by V., could not be proven during the hearing.
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Character
The judge showed an understanding of the wishes of the suspects to honor the Sunneklaas party. That has a private character, in which no visitors to regular shore – let alone film teams – are welcome. “But the protection of this tradition is no reason to take the right into your own hands.”
The judge did not impose a conditional prison sentence because the perpetrators have no antecedents and there is a low repeat offense. “There has also been another Sunneklaas party, which the press was able to make images of.”
The OM had demanded 180 hours of community service against both men. In addition, according to the public prosecutor, K. should have six months of driving denial, V. nine months. The judge did not agree with that. This played a role that they have not been able to perform their work as a taxi driver for a year and a half, hanging the criminal case.
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