The Public Prosecution Service demands a prison sentence of ten years and TBS with compulsory treatment against a 57-year-old man from Groningen. He is suspected of having strangled his girlfriend to death. He allegedly kept her lifeless body in the apartment for days, covered with a pile of blankets and linens.
The prosecutor believes that today in the courtroom it should primarily be about the victim, the girlfriend of the suspect. She knew the suspects past, was concerned about his addiction, and tried in various ways to support him in the fight against his addiction. “The suspects choice to use cocaine that fateful day in August had a fatal outcome. It is extra cruel and sad that she became the victim of this.”
The Public Prosecution Service believes that this is a case of manslaughter. “The suspect did not go home on the night of Saturday, August 10, 2024, with the intention of harming his girlfriend. He made no preparations for this and there was no opportunity to reflect before the act. […] This does not indicate planned action but rather an impulsive emotional outburst, a sudden rage,” said the prosecutor.
The suspect has previously taken a persons life. This was also preceded by a conflict situation in which the suspect, under the influence of substances, resorted to violence. He was punished for this and subsequently underwent treatment for years. Today he stands trial again for having killed someone.
“Unlike the criminal case from 1993, this case involves the killing of a female partner, also referred to as femicide. In this case, it was not preceded by a history of domestic violence as there was no such history at all. This is a partner killing as a result of situational violence. There was a direct trigger - namely an argument while the suspect was under the influence of cocaine - to which the suspect reacted excessively.”
The prosecutor takes into account the personal circumstances of the suspect, the diminished accountability, the risk of recidivism, and the seriousness of the act when determining the sentence. The prosecutor: “The fact that the suspect treated the victims body disrespectfully has had a devastating effect on her relatives.”
Given the suffering the suspect has caused the family, the Public Prosecution Service believes that, in addition to imposing a TBS measure, retribution in the form of an unconditional prison sentence is appropriate.
The prosecutor demands a prison sentence of ten years and TBS with compulsory treatment.