Former mayor of Groningen to appeal conviction for public masturbation

Koen Schuiling, the former mayor of Groningen, is going to appeal his conviction for public indecency. Schuiling was issued a fine of 250 euros two weeks ago because the court felt he was guilty of masturbating while driving on the A7 between Hoogezand and Groningen on March 25, 2024.

Attorney Peter Koorps confirmed a report by the Dagblad van het Noorden that his client has filed an appeal. The lawyer says that they did this mainly to get the procedure started. He will discuss with Schuiling in the coming months whether they will continue with the appeal. "This will give us more time to think about it."

Schuiling has denied the accusations and has said that it is a misunderstanding. He claims to have had stomach pains due to a medical situation.

Koorps has said that his 66-year-old client is struggling with the process. Schuiling was the mayor of Groningen from 2019 to October of last year. He resigned from his position, citing health reasons caused by overwork during a period when he was pushing the national government to limit natural gas extraction in the region and asylum seeker policies.

It was later reported that the Minister of Interior Affairs, Judith Uitermark, had convinced Schuiling to resign after hearing about the case.