Tim and his friend are sleeping at home in Almere when they hear noises at the back yard. They both look throught the windows and see a junk in the little chalet in the backyard where bikes and garden gadgets are kept. Tim, a 17 year old and hockey player, tells his friend to call the police and goes to the back yard to stop the man. He is hit by the junk on his face and fights back. His friend arrives and they both immobilize the man (Ben G. 47 y. old) against the wall. They keep telling him he shouldn't move and wait for the police. They say it more than 15 times and the man keeps saying it was a Moroccan citizen who had broken into the chalet, not him. Tim's friend grabs a hockeystick and Tim grabs a honkbalknuppel (a wooden club, a toy from his little brother, sold at most Dutch Bart Smit shops) and hits the man on his legs. The purpose according to the teenager was to frighten the junk so that he wouldn't hit them or scape. They were also afraid he would own a knife. The police arrives.
Ben G., after being released by the police, decides to make an offical complaint against Tim. A doctor declares Ben G. was indeed very hurt in the legs - but no bones were broken. Everything happened in the beginning of July and now end of October Tim must appear on court to defend himself. His lawyer, Ms. Emma Hoffman from Cleerdin & Hamer Lawyers says her client hit the thief as self defense. "This case sets the world upside down: someone who defends his property against a burglar is now being indicted by the criminal himself."
The article in de Telegraaf of today 30th of October has had so far more than 1250 reactions from readers. This type of attitude from the criminal is not unusual in the Netherlands, by the way. It seems you cannot hurt a thief in your own property. Wish to know more ? Go to the site below while the link lasts:
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