Man convicted of sexually assaulting a pony, but escapes prison

The court in Amsterdam has sentenced Ricardo van Z. to nine months in prison, with six of those conditionally suspended, for sexually abusing a Shetland pony. Van Z. was also found guilty of possession of child sexual abuse videos and making bestiality videos, the court ruled. The 38-year-old man from De Kwakel was acquitted of assaulting the pony and his dog. This ruling means that Van Z. does not have to go back to jail. The court ended his pre-trial detention on July 24.

The suspect admitted in court two weeks ago that he had abused the animal eight times. He had also filmed himself doing so. The Public Prosecution Service (OM) recommended a 15-month prison sentence, with eight months of the sentence conditionally suspended. The OM also wanted to impose a two-year ban on keeping animals and for the man to undergo treatment.

The punishment is lower than the prosecutor’s recommendation because the court feels that not all charges were proven. The judge did not impose a ban on keeping animals because she did not find that animal abuse had been proven. For example, it was not demonstrated that the pony was in pain or sustained injuries as a result of being tied up by Van Z.

However, the defendant is required to undergo treatment, report regularly, and is subject to a location ban. The court found it unnecessary to enforce this with an ankle monitor, as a “substantial” suspended sentence had already been imposed.

The incidents occurred in September and October of last year and April of this year on the Amsteldijk Zuid in Amstelveen. The Shetland pony named Ona was a few months pregnant at the time of the abuse. “Sexual contact between humans and animals is contrary to public decency,” said the presiding judge. “And it causes public unrest.”

Van Z. suffers from a personality disorder and has problems with cannabis use. He has also been diagnosed with zoophilia, a condition in which a person is sexually attracted to animals. As a result, an expert has determined that his criminal responsibility is diminished.