A Beverwijker of Polish descent stood before the judge in Haarlem today for harassing his ex-girlfriend and her father. Despite a contact ban, he sent no fewer than 600 messages to her and a few of her relatives at a “good time”. These messages had a threatening tone. She wasn’t his first victim; During the hearing, the victim turned out to be the third ex-lover in two years to file a complaint against the man.
In 2022, the Beverwijker was also sentenced to a two-month suspended prison sentence for threatening a previous ex-girlfriend. The man turned out to be tough: the next ex-girlfriend also filed a report against him later that year.
Today’s case was about ex number 3. The suspect also already had a contact ban with her, but last September and October still sent messages with texts such as: ‘I’m going to get you’, ‘it’s going to be painful’ and ‘a tragedy will follow’. The man also threatened her father. The suspect has been in custody since then.
‘Regret’
The suspect, a large man with short brown hair, showed remorse in court today. “I would like to apologize to my ex-girlfriend and her father,” an interpreter translated from Polish. “And especially the girls (presumably the woman’s daughters, ed.), they are the most disadvantaged. I have no explanation for my stupid behavior.”
He also says that when he is released, he still wants to be treated by the psychologist: “I want to thank her, because I finally got the help I needed.”
Lawyer Sjirk Faber asked the court to temporarily release the suspect: “He really realizes that he was wrong. Any prison sentence will not be longer than these three months of pre-trial detention.”
Investigation into suspect
The public prosecutor prefers to wait for the man’s psychological report before perhaps releasing him. That report is expected next month. Today was an introductory hearing, it is not yet known when the substantive case will take place.