Two men get two years for Beverwijk attack on teenager

On Thursday the district court in Haarlem sentenced Adam el B. (22, Beverwijk) and Fouad B. (24, Heemskerk) to two years in prison, six months of it suspended, for attempted manslaughter of a 17-year-old boy from Haarlem. The assault happened on 6 September last year in Beverwijk.

The victim was kicked, beaten and filmed, and the footage was shared online. Two days later a 22-year-old man from Heemskerk was abducted and assaulted, apparently in revenge. Municipalities issued emergency orders (noodbevelen), and secondary schools and sports clubs in the region closed for a day.

The court ruled that the two knowingly took the risk that the victim could die when they kicked him. It said filming and sharing the incident was "particularly humiliating for the victim" and that the incident and the later social media posts caused "great social unrest".

The victim told the court he was kicked 30 to 40 times and thought he would die. He still suffers from the consequences. "There are days when I can't go on," he said.

A third suspect, Mourad L. (25, Beverwijk), was not tried. Another suspect in a comparable situation was not prosecuted, and the court called the decision of the Public Prosecution Service (OM) incomprehensible. It did not assess L.'s case further. Prosecutors had demanded 18 months against him.

The suspects in the abduction of the Heemskerk man, who had a revolver put in his mouth, will stand trial later.