VVD-er steps down over golf ball incident

Jan Sluiter, Gelderland provincial council member for the VVD stepped down, Thursday, after he sentenced to 100 hours of community service for abuse. Although he appealed the court's decision, he doesn't want to wait for the outcome. In a letter to the King's Commissioner, Cornielje, Sluiter states "he doesn't want the VVD to suffer from the effect of the court's ruling.'

Sluiter is accused of abusing three boys who stole golf balls from his golf course. During his pursuit of the boys one of them fell and Sluiter ran over his bike. The Zutphen court condemns the way the provincial council member pursued the boys and sentenced him to community service on December 31. Sluiter has been a member of the Gelderland Provincial Council for three years and owns two golf courses, in Hattem and in Putten. This past Wednesday he announced he had reported the incident to the VVD Integrity Committee and he was planning to stay on. Jan Sluiter is fed up with the case and thinks the charge of abuse is too harsh.