Hicham Argani, who is held in high esteem as a community police officer in Boxtel, has been accused for months by his ex-wife of, among other things, mental abuse on his LinkedIn page. The police judge in Eindhoven ruled on Tuesday afternoon that she had gone too far and imposed a suspended community service of 40 hours on her. She must do this if she commits another offense during the one-year probationary period.
An unconditional community service of 60 hours was demanded.
The stalking started after relationship problems. For months, the woman posted comments on her husband’s LinkedIn page out of frustration, when he had posted another video about what he experiences as an agent.
‘heartless man’
Argani has been a popular cop in the police world for years. On social media he shows what he experiences as a community police officer and that appeals to many people. According to his wife, he also had another side.
During the hearing, she said that she did not know that what she was doing was punishable. “I did it out of emotion. Now I would think about it better, but I never wanted to hit him as a police officer, only as a person. The way was not so convenient. I shouldn’t have let it get so high.” According to her lawyer, she was “driven mad” by her husband, whom she called “somewhat manipulative.”
The police judge came to a much less severe sentence than the public prosecutor had demanded, because the facts are two years old. The judge is counting on the woman not to lower herself again. She also disagreed with the public prosecutor that Argani was systematically harassed with text messages or e-mails.
‘Talking out problems’
The judge hopes that the woman has learned her lesson: that she should talk out problems instead of resorting to unacceptable methods. “Your ex-husband is also doing his best as a father and as an agent. You had no good reason for your actions.”
The woman accepts the punishment. The prosecutor declined to say whether she will appeal. Argani could not be reached for comment.
READ ALSO: Neighborhood is disappointed that popular agent Hicham stops: ‘Man of the neighborhood’