News report | 02-12-2025 | 14:33

A woman was attacked on August 7, 2024, at the parking lot of the station in Oostrum by a 31-year-old man from Oostrum. The Public Prosecution Service Limburg (OM) suspects the man of rape and attempted manslaughter. In the court of Roermond, the suspect heard today a demand for five years imprisonment and TBS with compulsory treatment.

Witnesses heard shouting around 18:45. They then saw a car with open doors and a woman urgently calling for help and trying to break free from a man. One of the witnesses pulled the man off her. Following the witnesses indications, the police arrested the suspect shortly after.

‘Do you want to die?’

The police found a highly emotional woman whose belt and button of her trousers were undone and the zipper was pulled down. She stated that she was just sitting in the drivers seat of her car when the man entered her car through the drivers side door. He grabbed her and pushed her backward, downwards. The woman felt that he was sitting on her and touching her body everywhere with his hands. He said among other things: ’I wanna fuck you’. Then the man loosened the belt of her trousers. The woman told how she strongly resisted at that moment by honking the horn, shouting, scratching, and hitting. She also managed to kick the suspect hard. He got angry, lay on her, and began to strangle her. His elbow was tightly around her neck when he said: ‘Do you want to die?’.

Motivation

The public prosecutor at the hearing: The OM assumes the correctness of the victims statements. These are supported by DNA research, medical findings, photos, and witness statements. The suspect partially confirms these statements. For example, he denies having loosened the victims belt: the OM attaches no value to this denial because the suspects DNA is on the end of that belt. It is also inconceivable that the belt, button, and zipper came undone spontaneously. In the OMs view, it is the suspect who loosened and opened the belt, button, and zipper. The suspect also stated that he acted so that the police would come and he would be returned to his residence, an institution. Later, the suspect came up with another motive: he wanted to take the womans car and got into a fight with her. The OM finds this an unlikely scenario. Why touch a woman, put your hand on her crotch, and want to pull down her trousers if your goal is to steal a car? the prosecutor clarified.

Brutal rape and attempted manslaughter

The OM establishes that both the actions and statements of the suspect were aimed at having sexual intercourse with the victim and thus at a brutal rape. The OM also considers attempted manslaughter proven. By strangling the victim in the manner the suspect did, he intended the death of the victim or at least accepted the risk that the victim would die.

Impact

According to experts, there are various personality disorders and a very high risk of recidivism, and the facts can only be attributed to the suspect to a limited extent. Given the particular seriousness of these facts and the enormous impact they have had, the prosecutor believes that in addition to a TBS measure, imprisonment is appropriate.

The court will give its verdict in this case in two weeks.