More than a year after their involuntary New Year's dive into a Leeuwarden city canal, three students are still struggling with the traumatic consequences. Two of them are in therapy weighing post-traumatic stress. They have had to discontinue their studies. "They are mentally broken," says the prosecutor.
And all because on the early New Year's morning of 2012 they ran into a group of blindly drunk Leeuwarders on the Voorstreek. They threw the two boys and a girl (now 22 years old) into the canal. Three of the culprits are on trial. They have no answer to the question of why they targeted these students.
Fortunately, the water in the moat was only a meter high. There was no immediate danger of drowning. But it was cold. Hypothermia was a real danger, according to the GGD doctor. Moreover, both boys received blows from two assailants who had also jumped into the water. When they scrambled up the steps against the quay wall, they were pushed back roughly. In front of the door of the Evangelical Bookstore, the brutal incident almost degenerated into a stoning.
Someone pulled clinkers out of the street there and threw them at the kleumende students in the canal water. In the girl's case, a stone grazed against her head. In addition to stones, two bicycles also ended up in the canal. "They were a target," says Bert Dölle. Only when the police appeared on the scene did it stop.
The three men (ages 40, 25 and 21) say they regret what happened, but also that their part in the whole thing was modest. Two of them say they drank heavily the night of the turn of the year. The oldest figures his intake at a bottle and a half of whiskey plus a bottle of champagne. The middle one says he drank a bottle of whiskey by himself.
Witnesses broadly confirm the version of events outlined by the victims. The suspects, however, have different stories. For example, the youngest of the trio claims that he himself was pushed into the water. When he had scrambled out, he heard from one of his companions that one of the students had done it. Therefore, he immediately dove back into the water "to get redress." He slapped one of the male students. According to the victim, he also held him under the water with his head, but the suspect denies that.
That the oldest suspect also dove into the water, he said, was to save the youngest. The latter has weak lungs and therefore had to get out of the water. According to the students, this man also gave blows, but he denies it. As he also says that he did not push anyone into the water or throw stones. Indeed, he mentions the name of someone else from his group, who is on trial, as a stone-thrower.
It was an extremely threatening situation, says prosecutor Ed Boelen. For a conviction for attempted manslaughter he sees insufficient evidence, but an attempted aggravated assault in association was, according to him. Apart from everyone's personal share, the prosecutor holds the three of them collectively responsible.
He is demanding 12 months in prison against the two oldest suspects. Against the youngest the same, but two months of it suspended with probation supervision.
Moreover, this man would still have to serve the year that had previously been waived on early release on the condition that he behave properly.
Attorneys Jantine Rouwé, Bart Canoy and Serge Weening argue that there was neither a joint plan nor an intent to inflict serious injury. They request an acquittal or at most a conviction for simple assault. But then the period of their remand (six months) will have been more than enough.
The court will rule in two weeks.
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