Jelle Brandt Corstius would have had a different approach to his conflict with TV producer Gijs van Dam afterwards, he said on Friday in conversation with de Volkskrant. The two men had sex with each other fifteen years ago. Brandt Corstius introduced an article a year ago Faithful that that had happened against his will.
“Someone wrote to me that the punishment for silence is lifelong. I found that very striking. Only: I could have made my statements in a different way. I could have confronted him with that myself. Looking back at all the misery there has been , that would have been better, “said the television maker.
But according to Brandt Corstius he did not know how to do that at the time. The journalist claimed to have mixed feelings of anger and shame.
“I thought about telling him at a reunion, but then he didn’t come. For some reason I needed a reason, which of course is absurd, because you can also call someone. But those are difficult things The rational Jelle says: yes, I should have done that, but the emotional Jelle says: but I couldn’t do that at all, “he says.
In the interview, the journalist dismissed the comment that Van Dam could have accused him in a possible telephone conversation that Brand Corstius wanted sex himself.
“Yes, but to be honest, I would have said that, at least I would have said it. Only the way I did it was unwise, and with the knowledge of today I regret it.”
Court case for defamation and defamation
In response to Brandt Corstius’ accusation, Van Dam filed a complaint for defamation and slander. The Public Prosecution Service (OM) decided not to prosecute because there would be no legal defamation.
Van Dam did not agree with this decision and instituted a so-called Article 12 procedure. The Court of Appeal then decided that a case must still be looked at by a judge because there may still be libel.
Brandt Corstius wonders whether Van Dam has an interest in having the case go ahead. “I think the only way to get ahead is to sit together and talk about that evening,” the journalist said.
– .
