A 27-year-old former kickboxing world champion from Schijndel attacked two officials from the municipality of Meierijstad. This happened on November 1 last year in the municipality of Veghel. One official suffered serious injuries, including a severe concussion, a bruised jaw and a cut to the face. “She was punched in a boxing stance,” an official said.
The former world champion appeared before the Den Bosch police judge on Tuesday. He gave her a 150-hour community service order for attempted serious assault. He will also have to pay 2,000 euros in damages. And if he makes the same mistake again, he will have to go to prison for two months. “It’s a lenient sentence,” the judge said. The prosecutor requested 150 hours of community service and a one-month suspended prison sentence.
“Suddenly I get a slap on the cheek and the back of the head.”
The woman had an appointment with the municipality due to her social assistance payment. Fraud would occur as a result of which the benefit could be stopped and the money would have to be refunded.
“We had already had several discussions on the phone before,” Schijndelse said in court. Tension also grows during the meeting at the town hall, explains the 27-year-old. “They were both talking to me, I no longer knew who to answer to.”
One of the civil servants is a social investigator at the municipality of Meierijstad. “All of a sudden I get a blow on the cheek and the back of the head,” the victim told police. “My head starts to feel light and I hit the panic button.” The public official falls unconscious on the floor under the desk.
“Suddenly the coffee flies onto the desk.”
The other official, just like the suspect, speaks of a dark conversation. “I indicated what the possible consequences would be. That the benefit could be stopped and the money would then have to be returned. Suddenly the coffee flies onto the desk and my colleague is attacked, she is punched in a boxing position”. The civil servant tries to protect her colleague and is also beaten.
In hospital, the social investigator appears to have suffered a severe concussion, a bruised jaw and a cut on his face. The official’s glasses were also broken due to the attack. Two and a half months later, he is still unable to work or exercise due to pain and anxiety throughout his body.
“Suddenly I get a finger in my face.”
According to the former world champion, the story is slightly different, the social investigator began to point the finger at her. “I asked for all this to stop. She doesn’t stop and suddenly a finger is put in my face. And then I pushed her hand away.”
The woman claims that the two employees approached her and that she was kicked. A struggle ensued because the arms of the suspect and the officer were intertwined. According to the 27-year-old woman, it was chaos and she doesn’t remember everything. Her lawyer talks about emergency defense.
“Would things have been different if a councilor or mayor had been abused?”
There had been tension between her and the Municipality for some time. The former world champion wants a place at the Sint-Oedenrode caravan park, but the municipality makes it impossible for her. According to the lawyer she feels treated like a criminal and she is not taken seriously by the municipality of Meierijstad and the mayor Kees van Rooij.
The municipality of Meierijstad actually did not want media attention on this case because “the attack did not happen in a public space”. To the dismay of an employee who sent an anonymous letter to Omroep Brabant.
“I find it remarkable that the City has chosen not to release anything on this matter, especially at this time. Would anything have been done differently if a councilor or mayor had suffered abuse?” writes the anonymous official.
The municipality of Meierijstad says in a written response that the incident was not made public for two reasons. “We wanted to provide the employees in question with peace of mind and privacy. We also checked whether there was a tendency towards violence. Then we would feel it was necessary to send a signal to our residents. The answer to that question is no.”
Violence against employees is “obviously not tolerated,” the city says. “It is important for us to work safely. This is why there are safety measures, precautions and after-sales assistance.
2024-01-16 16:58:23
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