Minister didn’t appreciate neighbour’s “gifts”

The man started his hate campaign against the Defence Minister in August 2010. The campaign continued until December 2013. He posted collages of newspaper and magazine articles containing insulting and sexually explicit comments into Mr De Crem’s letterbox.

He called Mr De Crem “A foaming-mouthed Nazi-face”. Other items were also left a Mr De Crems home including a small barrel of beer, bottles, sweets and a bullet.

The judicial authorities had requested a 6 month prison sentence and a 600-euro fine. Meanwhile, Counsel for Mr De Crem demanded 1,000 euro in damages the accused had caused such distress to the De Crem family. In 2010 a psychiatric patient drove into the fence of Mr De Crem’s Aalter (East Flanders) home. He was later sectioned.

Counsel for the defence asked for an acquittal as his client’s action were meant as “satire” and “fun”. However, the court thought differently and ruled that the accused “knew that he was behaving as a delinquent” and that he “breached the beach” as he didn’t hand over his “gifts” in person and didn’t explain why he was giving them.