A 27-year-old Palestinian man from Emmen has been sentenced to one and a half years in prison (of which six months probation), for hitting a 16-year-old boy on the head with a chain lock last September. Another 15-year-old boy just managed to dodge the lock. The judge finds attempted murder and threats proven. The man was also sentenced for vandalism in several stores.
He was approached by the boys because he was throwing a can at an older man. That made him feel hurt. He had to defend himself and therefore slammed the lock. But the judge did not think that this was an emergency. The man could also have made the choice to leave and also had time to first remove the lock from his bicycle.
The teenager who was hit on the head suffered a serious head injury and a severe concussion.
The man has a disorder and is therefore less accountable. The judge did not impose any special conditions on the man, because there is a good chance that the resident of Emmen will not adhere to them. Moreover, he eventually wants to return to Palestine and he does not have a residence permit.
The sentence for the man is just as high as the Public Prosecution Service had demanded two weeks ago.