Veerman: I am a good boss

Veerman: I am a good boss
The owner of the cafe where 14 teenagers were killed in a blaze on New Year's Eve 2001 told his trial on Thursday that he is a good boss. He denies negligence on his part led to the fire.  Jan Veerman told the court in Haarlem that he never shirked his duties. "If other people do that, I don't accept it. Good is not good enough", he said. Veerman was responding to a claim that there is a new saying in the port town of Volendam - "What you wouldn't do in your own home, don't do it at Jan Veerman's". Veerman, 56, his 26-year-old daughter, Laura, and the 35-year-old cafe manager, J. Veerman (no relation), are accused of contributing to the deaths and injuries. They face a maximum of 21 months jail. They are not charged with intentionally causing the disaster. The prosecution claim that the emergency exits in his café De Hemel were not adequate, contributing to the 14 deaths and over a hundred injured.

ANP news agency reported that Veerman tried to paint a picture of himself as a tough boss of his staff who always tried to implement safety regulations. One young woman, who suffered severe burns in the fire, described his claims as "laughable". "What he is saying is not true," she said, "He is just trying to make the situation look a lot prettier." The witness was only 14 at the time of the fire and she told the court: "We even went in on quiet Saturday nights, but he never asked us to leave". A person has to be 16 to order alcohol in a café or bar in the Netherlands. Veerman countered by saying he had always supported the local community with sponsorship money and funds to renovate the local church. He also said that he had done everything in his power to help the victims of the fire, and had made over EUR 1 million in insurance money.

About 250 youths or more were partying at De Hemel on 31 December 2000, much more than legally allowed. A short-lived but intense blaze broke out after midnight when a male youth lit a sparkler that set alight the Christmas decorations hanging from the ceiling. The decorations were not fire proof and were allegedly lower than the prescribed 2.4-2.5 metres. Police also claim the Christmas decorations in the cafe obscured the exit signs, but Veerman said on Monday that the exit lights were visible and that no decorations were placed near the signs. He also denied that the emergency exit was difficult to open. Tragic television footage after the fire showed metal bars in front of the cafe's windows and the key to open the metal bars was kept behind the cafe's drinks counter, but Veerman contradicted witness statements by claiming on Monday that the lock could simply be pulled open. The prosecution countered his claim by saying that windows were not legal emergency exits. Veerman maintained his stance that the cafe had sufficient emergency exits, but admitted that the exits would have been more difficult to use in the dark and panic-filled moments during the blaze. In the aftermath of the tragedy in the small coastal fishing village, it was revealed that cafe owner Veerman did not have a permit for the establishment.