A 49-year-old man from the municipality of Emmen, suspected of attempted manslaughter of his ex-girlfriend, faces a demand for 30 months in prison.
The complainant and the suspect are ex-partners. They had a relationship of less than three months at the beginning of 2023. She had known the suspect longer because they lived together in the same apartment. The complainant ended the relationship because she felt she was being overly claimed by the suspect. She found the level of suspicion the suspect had towards her and everyone she knew unbearable.
It starts with a suspicion of assault and threats on May 25, 2023. The complainant states that the suspect forcefully pulled her into the house when she tried to leave. He held her tightly and threatened her by saying: “I will gouge your eyes out” and “I will saw off your ankles.” The suspect admits that he did not want to let the complainant go because she had lied and he wanted her to talk. According to the suspect, it was her own choice that he went into a strange psychosis and that he did not have control over his use of violence.
On May 26, 2023, the suspect is again at her door and forces his way into her home. Yelling, he chases her around the house and uses violence by hitting her with his fists on her arms, chest, and head. Ultimately, the suspect grabs the complainant by the throat, causing her to see stars and fear for her life. It was only when the alerted police intervened that the suspect stopped.
The prosecutor: “Squeezing the throat can cause great damage, even leading to death. It is well known that there are vulnerable and vital soft tissues in the neck, and that forcefully squeezing the throat can lead to death. The Public Prosecution Service considers the suspects actions […] so directed towards causing fatal injury that it can only be concluded that the suspects (full) intent was aimed at that.”
According to the Public Prosecution Service, the suspect is guilty of attempted manslaughter, assault, and threats against the victim. A woman with whom he had only a brief relationship and whom he evidently could not accept was no longer willing to continue with him. Under the influence of drugs, he threatened her, hit her multiple times, and squeezed her throat. “The suspect has seriously endangered the life of the victim in her own home, where the victim should feel safe. The suspect has grossly violated the physical integrity of the victim and has severely undermined her sense of safety through his violent actions,” says the prosecutor in his indictment. The Public Prosecution Service holds this against the suspect, and his overall attitude and statements are also very concerning.
The prosecutor pays attention in his indictment to the ‘red flags’ that may indicate intimate terror. “Recently, there has been much attention for the theme of femicide, a synonym for the murder of women/girls. This is not the case in this matter, but prior to femicide, there are often signals that may indicate it. Red flags include, for example, isolation of the victim, stalking, threats (against the victim themselves but also, for example, against family or pets) and attempted strangulation. Sometimes there are also previous reports and complaints known, but even if that is not the case, we know that an average of dozens of violent incidents have preceded a first report. The Public Prosecution Service takes those signals very seriously, and therefore this case and the suspects behavior raise concerns for the Public Prosecution Service.”
The prosecutor demands a prison sentence of 30 months, of which ten months are conditional with a probation period of three years.