According to the information from Folkskrant, a 56-year-old farmer from Someren was sentenced to pay almost 1.2 million guilders to his former farm laborer, who has been used for many years as a slave. This farmer is known in his village as “the horror of Someren.”
Thiry-eight-year-old Hans van de R. was working with swine during the period from 1978 to 1990 at the cattle breeding farm owned by Vim van H. At first, only during summers, but then, the whole week. He was living at the farm, but not in the house: he slept in the cow house; this was also the place where he ate. The farmer usually scoffed at Hans, and sometimes he took a metal pipe to beat him. Hans was working 7 days a week, but only received pocket money for that. When he turned 27, he managed to escape from the torturer; he was totally exhausted, both physically and psychologically. There were only 450 guilders in his bank account saved over those 12 years. Hans went to the police. The farmer was put on trial, but he claimed he was like a careful father to his victim. Afterwards, he was justified for the lack of the evidence, but the mentioned fine was imposed anyway.
Irina Malenko PRAVDA.Ru
Read the original in Russian: http://www.pravda.ru/main/2001/11/09/33623.html
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