Man who beat up waiter apologises for bringing ‘shame’ on Netherlands

A Dutchman who faces several years in jail for beating up a waiter in Prague has written an open letter apologising for bringing ‘shame’ on the Netherlands.

Armin N. is currently in prison awaiting trial for the incident in April, which was filmed on CCTV camera. A group of people surrounded the waiter and knocked him to the ground, at which point N. kicked him repeatedly in the face.

‘I can’t deny it. I’m sorry and deeply ashamed, and I have apologised in a letter to the victim,’ he told AD. ‘When I heard he had a child, it broke my heart. People are dependent on him, that’s the worst thing for me.’

N. was arrested on suspicion of serious assault and will stay in prison until his trial in September.

The 28-year-old, who worked as a personal trainer at a gym in The Hague before his arrest, said he became aggressive when drunk, but took full responsibility for his actions. ‘I was in the wrong and am not looking for any sort of sympathy,’ he wrote to his victim.

Unable to work

The waiter, named only as Mirek, suffered a broken jaw, severe concussion and a damaged eye socket in the beating. The owner of Polpo, the restaurant where he worked, said he would be unable to return to work for several months.

Stefan Savic said the trouble began when Mirek, 36, saw a group of men, including N., drinking their own alcohol at a table outside the restaurant. ‘Two of the men said straight away: no problem. They were friendly. But the others started swearing and spitting at other guests.

‘Mirek is one of our best staff. He’s been working here eight years and is a decent man,’ Savic added.

 

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