Cafe boss faces 16 months jail

Cafe boss faces 16 months jail
The public prosecutor demanded a sentence of 16 months jail for Jan Veerman, the owner of a Volendam cafe that erupted into flames more than two years ago killing 14 young people. The prosecutor claimed in a court in Haarlem that Veerman, 56, was responsible for the fire on New Year's Eve 2000 and was guilty of culpable homicide and the injuries of more than a 100 people. The sentence of 16 months is the maximum possible sentence. A sentence of 10 months was demanded against 35-year-old John Veerman (no relation) who worked as the manager of De Hemel cafe, while the prosecutor demanded three months jail against 26-year-old Laura Veerman, the daughter of cafe owner Jan. None of the three suspects are charged with intentionally causing the disaster.

In court testimony on Thursday, Jan Veerman cried and screamed, saying in the past two and a half years he had been made out to be a murderer and treated like he had actually lit the fire. He claimed that himself and his workers had been abandoned after the fire and that he felt like screaming from the rooftop after reading all the bad press. Veerman also told the court he is a good boss and denied negligence on his part led to the fire. He said he never shirked his duties: "If other people do that, I don't accept it. Good is not good enough".

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. But 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."

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. 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 because the council had requested Veerman address fire safety concerns. Veerman faces a EUR 3,000 fine in connection with the allegations.

The court is scheduled to hand down its ruling on 18 July.

Meanwhile, Veerman is pushing ahead with a legal injunction aimed at preventing 214 victims and their lobby group, BSNV, sequestering his possessions in the event that a court rules in favour of its compensation claim. Veerman's legal action started on Friday afternoon. The victims are trying to obtain compensation via a civil procedure that will be mainly carried out by correspondence and could take several years. The BSNV has claimed it tried in vain to come to an out-of-court settlement with Veerman.