Former Groningen mayor loses appeal against indecency conviction

The former mayor of Groningen, Koen Schuiling, has lost his appeal against a conviction for offending public decency that led to him being forced to take early retirement two years ago.

Judges upheld a €250 fine imposed by a court in Zwolle after he was found guilty of masturbating in his car on the A7 motorway in the city.

He was reported to police by a passing lorry driver, but insisted when questioned that he had stopped to relieve stomach complaints caused by a medical condition.

The court found that the driver had a clear view of Schuiling’s car and had given an detailed and consistent account of what he saw. His testimony was corroborated by an audio recording made in the cab in which he could be heard angrily challenging Schuiling about his behaviour.

Schuiling stepped down from his post in September 2024, a year before his term of office was due to end. At the time he said he lacked energy after an “extraordinarily intense period” that included the coronavirus lockdowns and the rollout of compensation to homeowners in Groningen who were affected by earthquake damage.

But it soon emerged that home affairs minister Judith Uitermark demanded his resignation after she was briefed by the police and public prosecutor about the allegations against Schuiling, arguing it exposed him to blackmail.

Police had received two earlier complaints in the previous six months about the mayor behaving inappropriately at the wheel of his vehicle.