Better Evidence
Mirjam Warnaar, national public prosecutor for forensic investigation: ‘In strangulation attempts, there is often not much visible on the outside, but internal damage may have been done. We are now going to investigate with this large pilot whether we can establish that there is internal injury present in the victim. We must act quickly because this injury disappears after a short time. With this new approach, it will be possible to conduct additional forensic medical examinations by the LOEF within a short time, preferably within 48 hours after a victim reports to the police.
‘If internal injury is demonstrated, this is an important step for establishing the truth in domestic violence cases. It also contributes to determining the severity of the case and thus the punishment. Additionally, we want to increase our forensic knowledge of this form of abuse. The pilot is supported by a grant from the Ministry of Justice and Security for scientific research by the LOEF.’
Martin Sitalsing, national portfolio holder for Care and Safety of the police: ‘This pilot is a good example of broad collaboration to improve the approach to serious domestic violence. The connection between forensic and medical research is necessary to identify the red flags and strengthen the burden of proof.’
Femicide
Judith van Schoonderwoerd den Bezemer, national public prosecutor for domestic violence and sexual offenses, adds: ‘Every year, dozens of women are killed by (partner) violence. Many more women experience abuse and intimate terror. Strangulation attempts are one of the main red flags for further escalation and sometimes even femicide. This also occurs in other types of (domestic) violence. If we can get a faster and better view of this with this pilot, it hopefully increases the possibilities for effective intervention.’
Guido Reijnen, medical director of LOEF: ‘With additional medical techniques, we can now, in addition to the standard forensic medical examination, also document internal strangulation injuries (non-fatal strangulation) for the purpose of establishing the truth. Think of retinal hemorrhages, injuries in the throat, and subcutaneous swelling in the neck. Strangulation is one of the indicators of escalating domestic violence and possible femicide. This makes it even more important for forensic doctors to be able to make this injury visible through additional medical techniques.’
Registration
Women are much more often victims of murders committed by a (ex-)partner than men. The Public Prosecution Service has been registering the number of suspects of violent crimes with a female victim since last year. In 2024, there were 24 murder and manslaughter cases with a female victim reported to the Public Prosecution Service, and 49 cases of attempted murder. Femicides where the perpetrator also takes their own life do not appear in these figures because no criminal case follows.