Teacher killer’s friends banned from school

3 March 2004

AMSTERDAM — Terra College in The Hague has refused to teach three students who are friends with Murat D., the 16-year-old who has confessed to shooting and killing a teacher in January.

Teachers refused to continue teaching the three students, one of whom is D.’s girlfriend. A school spokesman said the students, two girls and a boy, showed too much sympathy for D.’s actions.

Economics teacher and deputy school director Hans van Wieren, 49, was shot in the head on 13 January among students at the school canteen on 13 January. He died in hospital that night and D. surrendered to police the same evening.

The three students have not been attending school for the past month and are taking part in a Dutch Salvation Army (Leger des Heils) assistance project for students with behavioural problems.

Together with compulsory attendance public servant and the Education Inspectorate, the school is looking for a replacement school for the trio.

The Terra College removed 27 students — including D.’s three friends — at the end of January, accusing them of showing sympathy for the murder. Teachers said they could no longer teach them in a normal way and no longer had faith in the students.

In the past few weeks, 24 of them have returned to school. Some of the students did not show sympathy for the murder and the school has offered its apologies for their suspensions. Teachers have since regain confidence in the students.

Meanwhile, a court in The Hague extended D.’s remand custody last month and ordered him to undergo a psychiatric assessment. The court must meet again at the end of April or the start of May. It will probably be a pre-trial hearing.

[Copyright Expatica News 2004]

Subject: Dutch news