Dutch news in brief, 18 October 2004

Maja murderer ‘a psychopath’, appeal told

Arnhem Appeals Court was told on Monday that a 19-year-old man convicted of killing Maja Bradaric, 16, in November last year was a psychopath. The lawyer defending Ferdi O., 19, claimed that co-accused Goran M., 19, was a menacing man whom everyone was scared of. The lawyer requested the court hear testimony from eight witnesses — who were also disproportionately scared of M. — in order to hear about the lead-up to the gruesome crime. Maja was strangled before her body was set on fire near the city of Nijmegen last year. M. was sentenced to eight years jail and TBS psychiatric detention, O. was sentenced to 11 years jail and co-accused Goran P. received three years jail. The appeal is scheduled to be heard on 18 and 19 November.

10pc of Dutch face social isolation

One out of every 10 Dutch people does not participate in society and lives in social isolation, the Social Cultural Planning Bureau (SCP) said Monday. The SCP attributed the social isolation primarily to poor health and secondly, low income. People in poor health or with mental health complaints are at risk of becoming lonely and sometimes have great financial difficulty. The SCP also said it feared that such people will suffer under the Cabinet’s budget plans because the emphasis was being placed on independence. The bureau said independence for isolated people was difficult because they do not know how to arrange education, healthcare or accommodation. The risk groups are single parents, people on social security, non-western immigrants and those who dot not have an adequate grasp of the Dutch language. The SCP urged for greater attention to be placed on improving public health and reducing mental illness.

Teen ‘still threatening burned ex-girlfriend’

The 16-year-old teen accused of setting his ex-girlfriend on fire has allegedly been threatening her from his cell at the youth jail in Zeist. The public prosecutor said on Monday the suspect has been denied contact with the outside world as a result of his actions. The teenager’s contact with the outside world was restricted for two weeks in September after previous threats, but the threats have allegedly continued unabated. The suspect, Awa, may in future only have contact with his parents, lawyer and social workers. He is accused of setting on fire his ex-girlfriend, at that time 16, and carving his name on her chest. He allegedly acted out of jealousy. A pre-trial hearing will be held on 8 November in Leeuwarden Court and the trial will start on 16 December.

‘Heavier babies, fewer risks’ with new IVF

Dutch academics claim a new IVF fertility treatment technique results in a higher birth weight for babies, a sharp decline in the number of twins and fewer risks for the mother. The researchers with the Groningen Academic Hospital also said the “own cycle IVF” could make the current hormone treatments superfluous. The own cycle IVF involves using the woman’s egg cell which is naturally produced during the menstrual cycle as opposed to hormone treatment IVF which uses several eggs after a period of hormone treatment. The results of the study were unveiled at the annual congress, American Society for Reproductive Medicine in Philadelphia.

Subject: Dutch news