Honeymoon Split: Jury Fail To Reach Verdict On New Groom

A newly-wed groom, accused of groping a young student while flying home from his Hawaii honeymoon, faces a retrial after a jury failed to reach a verdict today.

City analyst Robert Jan Van Den Bergh, 37, was is accused of caressing the woman’s thigh for nearly two hours after she took a couple of sleeping pills on the transatlantic flight.

Van Den Bergh, of Forest Road, Hackney pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual assault on the United Airlines Heathrow-bound flight between December 31, 2019 and January 1, 2020.

Isleworth Crown Court Judge Lindsey Rose told him: “The jury have been discharged and that is the end of the matter with this jury.

“The Crown will now have to decide if they want a retrial and I have set a reserve date.”

Prosecutor Sophia Kerridge announced: “The default position is that we would want a retrial. I anticipate in all the circumstances that would be the case.”

The economics degree student told the week-long trial: “I realised two hours in it was probably on purpose what he was doing and put an airline pillow between us. 

“The pressure would increase over time and move around up to where my underwear was. It would stop for a few seconds and start again.”

She was wearing a skirt and had a blanket over her. “It was under the blanket. It was the man sitting next to me.

“It started in the middle of my thigh, but moved around for the one and a half to two hours it was. I was too scared to look and sort of trapped in the seat and not sure what to do.”

She was seated in the window seat of the Los Angeles to Heathrow plane and Van Den Bergh’s wife was on another pre-booked flight.

He told the trial: “I did not at any point intentionally touch the complainant during the flight.”

Van Den Bergh, who works in the electricity markets, said it was unlikely, but possible, he moved in his sleep during the overnight New Year’s Eve flight.

“My wife makes fun of me that I move or caress her in my sleep, but I have no recollection of it,” he told the trial.

However, he insisted even that was unlikely: “This isn’t something I would expect myself to do in a strange environment in my sleep.”

He was released on bail until the provisional retrial date of August 30.