Teacher killer’s dad jailed for attempted murder

23 February 2004

AMSTERDAM — The father of the 16-year-old student who has confessed to shooting and killing a teacher in The Hague last month was sentenced in Rotterdam Court on Monday to eight years jail on an unrelated charge of attempted murder.

The court found that Eyup D., 38, was guilty of shooting four times at taxi driver Recep Simsek on the Schansweg in Rotterdam in October 2003, news agency ANP reported.

The victim suffered three bullet wounds to the back of the head, shoulder and back, but managed to escape with the help of a passing motorist. He later reported the shooting to police.

Simsek claimed that D. had carried out the shooting, but later withdrew the statement. Justice officials believe that D. and his companions brought pressure to bear on Simsek, who is also a suspect in a drugs inquiry in France.

The court said it was a miracle that Simsek survived the shooting. He was in a car with D., who placed a gun against his head and started shooting as Simsek threw himself out of the moving vehicle.

D. has denied the allegations and said the court’s ruling was “not honest”. The ruling caused great commotion among the defendant’s family and friends who had gathered to hear the verdict.

He has previously served eight years in a German prison on drugs charges and admitted he had stored a gun and ammunition at his house for years.

The public prosecutor said D. was a bad example to his children and that it was “alarming” that D. — the father of five children aged between one and a half and 16 — had a gun with ammunition in easy access for his children. The gun was seized three months ago during a police house raid.
 
The man’s son, Murat, shot and killed economics teacher Hans van Wieren, 49, at the Terra College in The Hague on 13 January. He has confessed to the murder a pre-trial hearing must occur before the end of April or the start of May.

[Copyright Expatica News 2004]

Subject: Dutch news