Fines and prison in third street sexual harassment trial

The Utrecht court convicted three men of street sexual harassment and fined all three. One suspect said he was unable to pay the fine, so the court sentenced him to two days in prison instead. This is the third street sexual harassment trial criminalized in the Netherlands on July 1, NOS reports.

The first case involved a 46-year-old man from Amersfoort who sexually harassed two female police officers in the early hours of July 7th. Police officers attended to a drunk man lying on the street while the Amersfoort man repeatedly shouted at them that he was going to “blow her”. He continued even after they arrested him.

Law enforcement officers said they found the man’s behavior offensive and humiliating. The court sentenced him to a fine of 350 euros, of which 200 euros was conditionally suspended.

The second case involved a 50-year-old man from Utrecht who was stopped by a police officer on August 21 because he was consuming drugs. The man refused to identify himself and merely flirted with the law enforcement officer. He made several sexual comments and movements and grabbed his genitals.

The court initially wanted to impose a fine on this man, but he pointed out that he could not pay it. The court therefore imposed a two-day prison sentence on him. He also has to pay 150 euros in compensation to the law enforcement officer he harassed.

The third case involved a 19-year-old man without a registered address who sexually harassed and tried to kiss an 18-year-old woman on the train from Amsterdam to Utrecht. The court imposed a fine of 280 euros on him. However, since his current whereabouts are unknown, it is questionable whether he will pay them.

This was the first trial of perpetrators of street sexual harassment. The first two cases appeared in court last week. The Rotterdam court sentenced a 33-year-old local man to a fine of 280 euros, of which 180 euros was conditional, for sexually harassing a woman on Scouwburgplein on August 9th. He also sexually harassed the two undercover law enforcement officers, who noticed the harassment and intervened.

And in The Hague, the court sentenced a man to five days in prison for sexually harassing an underage girl in Lisse.