Footage of a grieving father throwing a chair towards a judge after the driver who killed his two-year-old daughter and her grandparents received community service has resurfaced online. The incident took place at a court in Roermond, Netherlands, in November 2014. The case followed a fatal crash in Meijel in May 2013 in which a two-year-old girl and her grandparents, aged 64 and 67, were killed.

Driver initially given 120 hours of community service

The 33-year-old driver lost control of his car before entering a cycle path and striking the three victims. Prosecutors argued that he had been travelling at around 120km/h on a road with an 80km/h limit. However, the district court said it had not been proved that excessive speed was the cause of the crash. The driver was given 120 hours of community service and a suspended driving disqualification.

Father threw chair after hearing sentence

Moments after the sentence was announced, the girl’s father, Erik Derijks, reacted by throwing a courtroom chair towards the judge. The chair landed on the floor in front of the bench and the father was removed from the courtroom by police. He was not prosecuted over the incident after the judge decided not to make a complaint.

Sentence increased on appeal

Prosecutors appealed the original decision. The following year, an appeal court imposed a substantially tougher sentence of 15 months in prison and a four-year driving ban. The higher court found the driver’s conduct amounted to a more serious level of negligence than had been established at the original hearing. The footage has repeatedly resurfaced on social media in recent years, sometimes without the original date or the later appeal outcome being included.