In the spring of 2023, a father from Den Helder threatened the director and another employee of primary school De Verrekijker. The man, JK, has two children at the school and had been dissatisfied with the communication with and from the school for some time. At one point the man had had enough and threatened to commit murder and set fire to the school. The case came before the police judge in Haarlem today.
K. had to appear for two cases of threats. The first case concerned emails containing threats that K. sent to the school between April 19 and May 11, including the guardians of his children in the cc.
The second case was a telephone conversation he had with the police on May 11. During this conversation he said, among other things: “I come to school with a knife and I am going to stab someone, that will ensure that I am listened to. I am capable of setting fire to a school and hanging a school teacher and myself .”
The director of De Verrekijker then filed a report against K.. She was not present at the hearing, but wrote in her report, among other things, that she did not feel safe because of the e-mails from the man. For example, he wrote, “Would I get peace if I committed murder? I know where she lives.”
stress
K. was arrested for the threats and was held in custody for 29 days. He received an area ban for the area around the primary school and a contact ban with the headmistress.
JK has been struggling with severe depression for a few years now. His two children, who both attend primary school De Verrekijker, are supervised by guardians through Youth Care. K. is happy with this help, but also indicates several times during the hearing that it causes a lot of stress, because it is often not clear who communicates.
The various stimuli and communication channels cause him a lot of stress, the probation officer who has been talking to K. in recent months also recognizes. In the report he writes that it is better not to continue these conversations, because the stress of the conversations actually increases the risk of recidivism.
“It was a fit of rage, in which ‘Evil J.’ comes up.”
K. does not deny the statements. He does indicate that these were not serious threats, but expressions of frustration. “I asked the question ‘would I get peace if I committed murder?’ but I would never really do it.”
His lawyer adds: “He called the police on purpose. He said: ‘I am capable of setting the school on fire, so I want an officer to come and help me now’.”
It is frustration at the way the school communicates. “I didn’t feel heard. The first five or six times I ask something there is no response. Yes, then I get frustrated,” he says.
K. indicates that it was the increasing stress, together with a severe depression, that caused him to make the threats. It was a fit of rage, in which “evil J.” emerges, he describes.
That stress returns throughout the story. After the 29 days in prison, K. had calmed down quite a bit, he says himself and his lawyer also confirms. Because then no e-mails and letters came in for a while.
“I said it, and I’m sorry. But it was the words of someone in a deep depression.”
He does not deny the threats, but indicates that he cannot remember exactly what he said and wrote. “I said it, and I’m sorry,” he says. “But they were the words of someone in a deep depression.”
Shortly after his arrest, K. was finally able to have an interview with the GGZ. He was on the waiting list for at least two years. Since then he has had a weekly conversation, which he plans to continue. “I want help. I’ve been trying to get help for years, but it took a long time before there was room. If I could have gone to the GGZ six months earlier, this might not have happened at all.”
Penalty requirement
That does not alter the fact that the threats have caused a lot of fear among the employees of the school, says the Public Prosecutor. The judge later agrees.
In her demand, the Public Prosecutor says: “It is important that all these problems stop, that this all stops and that Mr. gets the peace he is looking for. Mr. will have to take action himself. rest yourself. Don’t send any more emails, don’t call anymore. Get some rest, concentrate on yourself, your wife and children.”
“You apologize, but I think you deserve punishment.”
The officer is seeking a prison sentence of 60 days, less the pretrial detention and the rest of the days suspended with three years’ probation. She also demands an area ban on the street where the school is located and a contact ban with all employees of the school for a period of three years.
The judge agrees with the requirements of the restraining order and the area ban. She says: “The facts proved enough. They are serious facts. You apologize, but I think you deserve punishment.”
The prison sentence is lower: 29 days, less the pre-trial detention. The judge does not impose a 30-day conditional sentence because, in her view, this makes no sense. She encourages K. to continue to receive treatment from mental health care, which according to K. is not a problem because he really wants help.
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