The former lighthouse keeper from Terschelling (44) was given a fully conditional community service order of forty hours by the judge on Tuesday afternoon. The woman from Midsland spread gossip about some islanders via social media.
The woman, who worked at the Brandaris until 2016, was sued by a dozen Terschellingers. Even though they had submitted claims, it was not about the money, they said two weeks ago during the appeal hearing at the court in Leeuwarden. They wanted to have their names cleared, accused as they were of, among other things, stalking.
Hetze
Some had submitted their complaints too late, the court ruled. A few islanders could be regarded as injured parties, such as the man who was accused by the woman of setting up a smear campaign. The woman had shared her allegation with her nine thousand followers, making its distribution “legally and convincingly proven.”
This did not apply to the people she addressed via a so-called ‘direct message’. “Those messages could not be read by a wider audience,” the court explained.
Backlash
Even though the reasonable period had been exceeded, the former lighthouse keeper did not receive a penalty reduction. The criminal trial had also had an impact on her, the court reported. She was not present at the court hearing or at the court. According to her lawyer Tjalling van der Goot, she could not handle that.
The Terschelling was for many years the figurehead of the Brandaris. Conflicts arose during 2015. In January 2016, she reported abuses in the workplace to management. Then she called in sick. She then told her story to various media. Several people involved felt that she had dragged their names through the mud.
‘Straightforward culture’
The woman was eventually given an honorable discharge. Rijkswaterstaat recently acknowledged that the former lighthouse keeper’s complaints had not been adequately addressed. This settlement agreement shows that there was a ‘straightforward culture’ at Brandaris, where colleagues made inappropriate comments. She received a nude photo from a colleague. The piece also states that the woman has always performed her work well.
The court attached a two-year probationary period to the fully conditional community service of 40 hours. The court rejected the damages.
Tags: Fully conditional community service lighthouse keeper Brandaris
