‘Maxime Meiland, you published your own book!’

Bridget Maasland has mixed feelings about Maxime Meiland now complaining about the media attention to her abuse allegation. “Of course she published a book herself.”

© RTL

Maxime Meiland claims that she was abused by a peer at the age of 15 and has been saying this for years to anyone who will listen. In fact, she published an entire book about it this year. But reporting? She never did that, not even around the publication of her book about it. The accused is now fed up…

Falsely accused?

Being falsely accused of abuse is intense and Maxime’s peer says that is the case. He wants to defend himself against it, since her suspicions don’t stop. Now that he has given an interview and there is a lot of understanding for his side of the story, Maxime is starting to complain about secondary victimization in her Instagram stories.

Peter Schouten, the lawyer of Maxime’s alleged victim, agrees RTL Boulevard: “He believes that a man who is falsely accused of rape should be given the opportunity to defend himself against it. That thirteen years later she publishes this in her book and throws my client to the lions in the media, yes, that is of course completely wrong.”

Send a signal

What does crime reporter Jermaine Ellenkamp think of Maxime complaining in her Insta stories about the media attention for the man she accuses? “You mainly see that Maxime actually wants to send a signal: hey, I’m already perfect then down the drain and now again through his publications in the media.”

He continues: “But of course she chose to publish that book herself. But yes, it does seem that she is suffering from this now, emotionally, and I think she wants to say that above all.”

Bridget critical

Bridget Maasland also thinks it is important to make that comment. “They call that secondary victimization, that you have to go through hell again later, but yes, as you also describe: of course a book has been published in which she also writes down this entire horror story.”

“That is indeed the difficult thing here. She has come out with this,” responds Rob Goossens, who wonders whether Maxime is having an effect with her complaint about secondary victimization. “I don’t know if it will do much, because you notice that people also want to take the alleged perpetrator’s story seriously.”

Summary proceedings

The summary proceedings against Maxime are due on January 19. Will she have to stop her claims from then on? “In the end, there is only one place where we could get to the truth and that is the courtroom,” Rob concludes.

Mediacourant wishes you a fantastic 2024! 🎇

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