A 38-year-old man from Assen sexually assaulted three boys at a swimming lake in Meppel in June this year. The judge gave the man a prison sentence of one year, of which three months were conditional.
The boys were 14 and 15 years old when they were touched and kissed by a man who was a complete stranger to them. The man from Assen denied the lewd acts to the judge two weeks ago. His lawyer called the boys’ reports unreliable because they contradicted each other on several points. Moreover, the touching was not sexually explicit, the counselor said, but part of a romp.
The judge does not agree with this defense. The man from Assen said earlier at the hearing that he had poked the boys’ stomach with his finger as a joke. The three boys were heard shortly after each other. Their story is detailed and consistent with the other reports. There are no indications that these statements are coordinated, the judge ruled.
On the other hand, the Assen resident stated superficially and evasively during the court hearing. This does not benefit credibility, the judge believes. He believes that there are lewd acts. A much older man playing around with completely unknown minors is special in itself. Moreover, the touching does not fit in with an average romp.
The thirty-something has gone too far, the judge believes. As an adult, the Assen resident should have known what the boundaries are when dealing with minors. “It was up to him to respect those boundaries,” the judge said. Two weeks ago, the Public Prosecution Service demanded a prison sentence of 15 months. The man from Assen was previously sentenced to four months in prison for a sexual offense in 2021.
The denying thirty-something takes no responsibility for his actions. He also did not want to cooperate in investigations, so little is known about his psychological condition. To prevent the man from making the same mistake again, the judge finds it more useful to impose a partially suspended sentence.