Judge finds former Groningen mayor guilty of masturbating in his car
A Dutch judge convicted former Groningen Mayor Koen Schuiling of public indecency on Wednesday, finding him guilty of masturbating in his car despite his denials. The case stemmed from an incident on March 25, 2024, when Schuiling was reported to police by a truck driver who alleged that he saw the man engaged in a personal sex act in his car while driving on the A7 highway. He was fined 250 euros by a police judge.
Schuiling, 65, resigned as mayor of Groningen in September 2024. He cited health reasons caused by overwork during a period when he was pushing the national government on limiting natural gas extraction in the region and asylum seeker policies. However, it later emerged that the public indecency case prompted pressure from Interior Affairs Minister Judith Uitermark to convince the politician to step down.
Schuiling denied the accusation, claiming that he was experiencing severe abdominal pain due to a medical condition and was merely trying to relieve the discomfort. He said that he had loosened his belt and placed his hand on his abdomen, the sight of which was misinterpreted by the truck driver.
The milk truck driver said he saw Schuiling behind the wheel of a red Saab, and they were alongside each other on the highway for some time. It was there he witnessed the mayor masturbating, and he decided to confront Schuiling at a turnoff. The truck driver said he saw Schuiling in a state of undress, but the mayor said that was not the case as he was driving in a white undershirt. He said he had loosened his belt because of his discomfort, but the mayor denied this. The police report noted that Schuiling had admitted to taking his pants off, but Schuiling said in court he had merely unbuckled them.
The judge, however, found the truck driver’s testimony to be credible and noted that it was corroborated by Schuiling’s own statements. The judge also pointed to the fact that Schuiling had his interior car lights on and had driven alongside the truck before pulling ahead.
The Public Prosecution Service (OM) also argued that Schuiling’s behavior was consistent with previous reports of inappropriate behavior in his car. It emerged several months ago that Schuiling was accused of this in October 2023 and February 2024, but the cases were dropped. He said each incident involved some sort of misunderstanding related to abdominal medical complaints dating back to 2022, but the OM said the medical records Schuiling provided do not support his claim.
Schuiling’s defense lawyer, Peter Koops, argued that there was insufficient evidence to convict his client. He pointed out that there was only one witness to the alleged incident and that Schuiling’s medical condition reasonably explains his behavior. Koops also argued that there was no evidence of sexual intent on the part of Schuiling.
“There is no reason for me to doubt the truck driver’s statement. There is also no evidence of a false report. The driver did not even want to press charges at first,” the judge said when handing down the sentence.
The amount of the fine matched the amount initially demanded when Schuiling was accused of the crime. He has the option of filing an appeal within 14 days.
