28-year-old Tim from Eindhoven has been given a community service order of 200 hours because he knocked over a traffic controller in his hometown in May last year. He also hit a woman. He also lost his driver’s license for nine months because of these traffic violations. According to the court in Den Bosch, the driver from Eindhoven drove irresponsibly and did not care about the victims.
The traffic controller, 50-year-old Salim Sert, was dragged meters onto the Eindhoven resident’s car after the collision. Among other things, he suffered a broken foot. The woman who was hit suffered injuries to her calf. The accidents happened after the Bontgenoten music festival.
Tim ignored several stop signs from the traffic controller, although he stated during the hearing that he had not seen anything until the traffic controller suddenly lay on the hood of his car. Sert was dragged several meters. In addition to a broken foot, he also had a severe headache for months. The traffic controller has only recently returned to work. He still can’t stand for long.
Panic
Tim was arrested at home the night after the festival. He immediately drove home in a panic. “I didn’t know what to do. I drank a beer and smoked a joint to calm myself down,” he explained before his flight.
Still, Sert wants to forgive him: “He has apologized and said that he has learned from it. My Muslim faith would like you to forgive. Everyone has to get on with their lives.” Even before the hearing, two weeks ago, the two gave each other an encouraging pat on the back. “That’s why I had a good feeling about this statement,” said Tim’s lawyer.
Aggravated assault
The Public Prosecution Service first wanted to prosecute the suspect for attempted manslaughter. Because it cannot be proven that Tim had drunk too much and was driving too fast during the collision, the accusation was reduced to aggravated assault. For two weeks, the public prosecutor demanded 200 hours of community service and the withdrawal of his driver’s license for nine months, minus the period in which he had been in pre-trial detention.
The court imposed the same sentence on him. In addition, Tim will receive a three-month prison sentence that he must serve if he commits another offense in the next three years. The resident of Eindhoven must also report to the probation service and be treated. If he does not comply with the conditions, he will lose his driver’s license even longer. He will get his car back. The lawyer of the Eindhoven resident assumes that his client will accept the verdict.