Rapper Appa was found guilty by a police judge in Utrecht of intimidating a Jewish woman and a NOS journalist by publicly sharing their personal information. He was sentenced to 40 hours of community service, with half suspended for two years, and was acquitted in a third case. The judge said the actions violated the victims’ privacy, caused fear and nuisance, and seriously hindered the journalist’s work. Appa had argued that he wanted to gather information for possible legal action against the woman and correct what he considered inaccurate reporting by the journalist; the judge rejected both defences.

The sentence was lower than the 60 hours of community service sought by the Public Prosecution Service because Appa had not previously been tried for similar conduct. The victims were reported to have been approached by people responding to his messages. It is not yet known whether Appa will appeal; he has two weeks to decide.