A 50-year-old man from The Hague does not have to go to jail for his part in a huge mating party during Carnival 2021 in Vlijmen. The court in Den Bosch had given him a prison sentence of six months for this. On appeal, the court imposed a community service order of 220 hours. In February 2021, the resident of The Hague and his two sons used violence during an argument in the Het Akkertje eatery in Vlijmen. Images spread across the internet.
The man and his two sons had come to Vlijmen to celebrate carnival. They got into an argument in the pizzeria at the Grote Kerk, which quickly degenerated into total chaos.
Things got out of hand after the father punched a visitor in the face with a fist and grabbed him by the throat. He then kicked, punched and threw bar stools with his sons. A 33-year-old man who was lying knocked out on the ground was kicked several times.
The court sentenced the two sons to seven and eighteen months in prison. As far as we know, no appeal has been lodged against these sentences. The three men must pay two victims thousands of euros in compensation. The court’s ruling did not change this.
The court pointed to the father as the instigator. He does not have to go to jail, because that would have too great consequences for his three companies. Another factor was that the resident of The Hague realized during the hearing that he had gone much too far. He has also expressed sincere regret on several occasions.
The court had wanted to impose 240 hours, but 20 hours were deducted because the appeal took so long. The time the man spent in pre-trial detention is deducted from the 220 hours.
The visitors of Het Akkertje really hit it out of the park: