Frenkie P., the leader of the Venlo Gang sentenced to life in 1996, has filed summary proceedings against the State. He wants to enforce through the courts a real prospect of re-evaluation of his life sentence.
The case will be heard at the court in The Hague on Wednesday, April 1. Frenkie P. himself wants to be present at the hearing of his case in three weeks. That would mean his first public court hearing after almost 24 years. This was confirmed by his lawyers Sjanneke de Crom and Cliff Raafs.
Also read: Frenkie P. still far from freedom after 25 years
The court in Den Bosch sentenced Frenkie P. in April 1996 to imprisonment "for the rest of your life" for seven life crimes. He is held responsible for the violent deaths of Jeu Wissink from Reuver, the elderly couple Van Rijn from Venlo and the murder of four unidentified men in Venlo.
De Limburger reported in October that the Advisory Committee on Life Imprisonment (ACL) has advised Minister Sander Dekker of Legal Protection not to return P. his freedom on humanitarian grounds. He would have given the college "no confidence that things will go well, given his personality and the risk of recidivism. The current system requires the minister to accept a negative advice.
Also read: Frenkie P., leader of Venlo gang, need not count on early release
Reintegration activities
Frenkie P. wants to enforce through the preliminary relief judge that the possibility of qualifying for reintegration activities is re-examined. According to him and his lawyers Sjanneke de Crom and Cliff Raafs, the current system would violate Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights. This stipulates that convicted persons must have a real possibility of having their criminal case reviewed. Based on the criteria used by the ACL, according to his lawyers, P. would henceforth stand no chance in subsequent applications for reassessment. In particular, the fact that he has continued to deny his involvement in six of the seven murders would play into his hands.
Since 2017, the ACL has routinely examined whether life sentences can begin preparing for a life of freedom after 25 years. A pardon would be possible after two years. Frenkie P., then just 21 years old, was arrested on May 8, 1994. European judges ruled in 2013 that incarceration without any prospect of release is inhumane. When Dutch judges subsequently shunned that ultimate punishment, politicians adjusted policy and instituted the ACL in 2017.
