MAASTRICHT - He mainly wanted to help people, he claimed himself. He absolutely does not see himself as a murderer. But 28-year-old Thijs H. is. That was the verdict of the court in Maastricht on Thursday in a very harsh sentence. Thijs H. was sentenced to 18 years in prison and tbs with compulsory treatment for 3 murders in May last year.
That was not an outcome Thijs H. and his family were hoping for themselves, even if the defendant did not show it. He listened seemingly unfazed. Nor is it the outcome the prosecution would have preferred. That demanded 24 years in prison and tbs a month ago and still says it considers that an appropriate sentence. From the side of the defense, an appeal is certainly obvious.
Lawyers Serge Weening and Joost de Bruin believe that Thijs H. cannot be blamed for his actions at all because he acted completely under the influence of psychosis. But like the prosecution, the court appeared to disagree with the experts from the Pieter Baan Center, who believe that Thijs H. was completely insanity-prone.
The court found that he showed that he did know what he was doing. He looked up information about psychosis after the murders, ticked off symptoms and fooled his practitioners.
That there was a "serious psychological disruption" is certain, but it was not such that Thijs H. was no longer capable of making his own decisions, the court concluded. Moreover, Thijs H. is partly to blame for the situation he ended up in by using drugs against the explicit advice of doctors, by taking medication that was not prescribed and by not taking the prescribed medication.
When he went out to kill people on May 3 and 7, he did so neither on a whim nor completely under the influence of a disorder, the court ruled. He made sure he could not be tracked via his phone and took a large meat cleaver with him. He also initially decided to ignore the murder orders he received after he made his first victim. On Brunssummer heath, he let a potential victim walk because it might be someone who might resist too violently. This all indicates the possibility of deliberation and also premeditation: murder, in other words. Not manslaughter, the court said.
The court considers it of utmost importance in the interest of the safety of society that Thijs H. be treated quickly. According to the experts, the danger of repetition is very high. For this reason, the court also believes that treatment should already begin after 6 years, when Thijs H. has served one-third of his sentence. Normally that happens after serving two-thirds of imposed sentences.
The next of kin, through their lawyers, reacted with satisfaction, despite the prison sentence being much lower. Lawyer Phil Boonen said the relatives of the victims on Brunssummerheide, Diny and Frans, are especially relieved that the court does not believe Thijs H. when he says he was controlled by his psychosis. "They are also not against his treatment starting earlier than usual. The longer you wait, the smaller the chance of a good outcome. They are at peace with it."
Attorney Sébas Diekstra who is assisting the husband of Thijs H.'s first victim Etsuko and Diny's twin sister says that "their biggest fear was that the court would also be fooled by Thijs H. For the families, of course, no punishment is high enough, but they find this a fitting and acceptable sentence." Incidentally, according to Diekstra, the relatives assume that the minister will not allow Thijs H.'s tbs treatment to begin until after serving two-thirds of the sentence.
The prosecution is satisfied that the court adopted almost all of the prosecutors' considerations. Press officer Anneke Rogier: "We are still convinced, however, that 24 years in prison was an appropriate sentence." Rogier does not rule out an appeal.
https://www.telegraaf.nl/nieuws/1780818411/thijs-h-veroordeeld-tot-18-jaar-cel-en-tbs
