» ‘The Boss’ arrested on assault charges

There are unconfirmed reports in the Dutch press that former Grand Prix driver Jos Verstappen has been arrested by Dutch police to face allegations that he assaulted his 24-year-old ex-girlfriend.

According to an article published just moments ago in de Stentor, the 39-year-old presented himself to Roermond city police yesterday after they received a report from a women alleging she was assaulted by her ex-partner.

It is understood that the pair had an argument at a hotel in the town of Velno, and that she suffered scrapes and bruises in the altercation.

Nicknamed ‘The Boss’ by his many fans for his aggressive racing style, Verstappen is the Netherlands’ most successful Formula 1 driver, achieving two podium finishes in a 106-race career between 1994 and 2003, driving for the likes of Benetton, Simtek, Footwork, Tyrrell, Stewart, Arrows (pictured above) and Minardi.

A karting ace, Verstappen went on to achieve success for Team Netherlands in the 2005-6 A1GP series, and contested the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2008 and 2009, winning the LMP2 class in a Porsche RS Spyder at the 2008 race.

It is not Verstappen’s first brush with the law. In 2008, he was convicted by a Belgian court of stalking his ex-wife, Sophie Kumpen, having been accused of assaulting her as well (although he was not convicted of the latter charge). A court sentenced him to a three-month suspended prison term and he was fined €1,650.

In 2000, he and his father were convicted of an assault at a karting track in 1998 in which the victim suffered a fractured skull. They were given five-year sentences after reaching an out-of-court settlement with the victim.

[Image via LAT]