AMSTERDAM — A court has imposed a nine-year sentence and compulsory TBS hospitalisation on the young man who stabbed and killed Bart Raaijmakers in Tilburg in July. Three co-defendants were sentenced to 12, eight and seven-year terms.

The robbery which got out of hand caused an outcry in Tilburg last year. Two of the attackers were Antilleans and this led to calls to crack down harder on “ethnic crime”.

The incident took place on 18 July 2003 as Raaijmakers, his brother and a friend were cycling towards Tilburg. The four defendants — who were under the influence of drugs — stopped them and demanded money.

A fight ensued and the victim’s brother and friend managed to escape. Raaijmakers appeared to be getting the better of his opponent, but suddenly a knife was produced and he was stabbed in the back four times.

Describing the assault as “excessive and meaningless violence”, the public prosecutor (OM) had demanded 15 years for B. G., 18, who committed the stabbing.

The OM had also demanded a 15-year term for C. R., 19, who kicked Raaijmakers in the head as he lay on the ground. The court sentenced him to 12 years.

The two other 18-year-old defendants were jailed to eight and seven years. The OM had demanded 12 years in their cases.

The court decided that the prosecution had not proved the group intended to murder the victim.

Instead, the judges said this was a case of assault with intent to rob and imposed the lower-than-demanded sentence on the main suspect, B. G., to allow him to undergo TBS psychiatric treatment at the earliest opportunity, news agency ANP said.

The chairman of the court said that while the allegation of murder had not been proved, B. G. should have been able to anticipate the potential consequences of his actions.

[Copyright Expatica News 2004]

Subject: Dutch news