Court blocks publication of ex-mayor and boyfriend videos

PowNed was not allowed to broadcast the footage of former Maastricht Mayor Onno Hoes and the then 20 year old Robbie Hasselt, the court of Amsterdam decided in a preliminary ruling on Wednesday.The footage, which was made with a hidden camera, is an unjustifiable intrusion on Hoes' privacy. PowNed must now remove all fragments of the footage from the internet and give the original footage to the former mayor. PowNed published the footage late last year. The footage was obtained through a hidden camera carried by Hasseld, at the request of the broadcaster. It shows the mayor making sexual comments to Hasselt and complaining about the city council, according to the Volkskrant. This footage and PowNed's report into the Hoes' love life led to his resignation as Mayor. The court decided that the the breach into the former Mayor's private life was not justified. According to the preliminary ruling "there was no evidence of any serious wrongdoing that could only be revealed using a hidden camera". The final verdict will follow at a later date. Then it will also be determined whether PowNed and Hasselt will have to pay compensation to Hoes. The former mayor's attorney told the Volkskrant that Hoes is pleased with the ruling.