The Public Prosecution Service demands 14 years in prison and compulsory treatment against a 31-year-old man who assaulted and raped a young woman on January 12, 2024, in The Hague. The woman was found seriously injured after 1.5 hours by passersby. Even being seriously injured does not do justice to the situation. She was completely unrecognizable, said the public prosecutor.
The 22-year-old woman was walking home from friends that night when she crossed paths with the suspect on the Parallelweg in The Hague. He was cycling on the other side of the road, threw his bike against a wall when he saw the woman, and approached her. Camera footage shows how she turned around at 3:22 AM and stepped back when she saw the man approaching her. At that point, they both disappear from view.
At around 5:10 AM, the police were called by passersby who had found the young woman seriously injured in the bushes along the Parallelweg. She could not remember what had happened. She had been severely beaten and her bag was missing. Many bones in her face were broken and with severe bleeding in the skull, it is a miracle that she has recovered.
DNA and Time Frame
Through a cap that was left behind in the bushes, the police tracked down a 31-year-old suspect, a man from Bulgaria without a permanent residence in the Netherlands. Since the victim could not remember anything and the suspect did not want to testify, police investigations had to reveal what happened out of sight of the cameras. During the investigation, it became clear that the victim had also been raped. Various injuries indicated this, and DNA from the suspect on her underwear pointed in that direction.
The suspect eventually confessed that he had beaten the young woman and stolen her bag. However, he claimed he did not rape her. But he only reappeared on the camera footage at 3:31 AM, about nine minutes later. The prosecutor argued that he would not have needed that much time to steal a bag. And why then so much violence? The only possibility is that he wanted to force the victim into sexual acts. This also fits with all other findings.
Previously Convicted
The Public Prosecution Service is seriously concerned about the suspect, especially since he had previously been convicted of a sexual offense in Bulgaria. In a case that frighteningly resembles this case, said the prosecutor. Within a few months of his release, he committed an even more serious offense in the Netherlands. Society must be protected from him as long and as well as possible. It is irresponsible to let him return to society untreated, regardless of whether it is the Dutch or another society.
They demanded 14 years in prison and compulsory treatment for attempted manslaughter, theft, and rape. The court will rule in two weeks.