Personal Life
Van Persie was born in a multi-ethnic area of Rotterdam to an artistic family. José Ras, his mother, is a painter and jewellery designer who also teaches special needs children. Bob, his father, is a sculptor. After Van Persie's parents divorced he was brought up by his father. At school, Van Persie was one of the most misbehaved children and was excluded from class almost daily. After joining Arsenal in England, Van Persie settled in Hampstead, an affluent suburb of north London. Van Persie is married to Bouchra and the couple have two children: a son named Shaqueel and daughter Dina.
In June 2005, while in Rotterdam with the Dutch national team for the 2006 World Cup qualifiers, Van Persie was arrested on suspicion of rape by Dutch police. Sandra Krijgsman, a former Miss Nigeria Holland winner, claimed that she was attacked by Van Persie in a hotel. He was held for fourteen nights in prison while the police investigated the allegations made against him but was then released without charge, though he was still under suspicion. In February 2006, the case against Van Persie was dismissed by the Dutch Public Prosecution Service after they completed their investigations stating that no sexual contact with coercion happened, with Van Persie's accuser later admitting she had made up the story to gain publicity. Van Persie admitted being unfaithful by having sex with Krijgsman, but he was forgiven by his wife, Bouchra Elbali. Van Persie spoke of his ordeal several months later, saying how degrading the experience was and how he was treated like a criminal despite his innocence. He revealed that conditions in the prison were so hot that they caused him to lose consciousness. It also emerged that more than 200 Rotterdam police officers had attempted to view his case files, with the vast majority of them unauthorised to do so.
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