Terminally ill abuse suspect Leon D. (71) will not be prosecuted. On Monday morning, the judge decided to suspend his prosecution because the suspect is no longer capable of realizing what is happening at the hearing.
As a result, Leon will not be prosecuted for lewdness with three underage girls in Maastricht.
Nanny Grandpa
Leon was suspected of fornicating with his neighbor girl and two babysitting children who considered him a grandfather. All this took place between 2012 and 2017. The children stated to vice police that they were, for example, massaged naked by the man. They also allegedly painted him with some regularity while he was naked.'Don't get it'
In some cases, it also went a step further, the young victims explained. Leon allegedly groped them several times in intimate places. He himself acknowledged that he was wrong, both to the police and in a letter to the parents of the babysitters' children. 'What possessed me to come to my actions, I don't really understand myself. I should have known better," he wrote, among other things.
Seriously ill
Leon, however, is seriously ill. Indeed; doctors have given up on him. He is staying in a hospice, where he will be cared for until his death. This greatly compromised a criminal trial. A psychiatrist had to examine whether the abuse suspect was still capable of facing a trial as well as a possible prison sentence.
Poor test results
The psychiatrist's report shows that the 70-year-old's situation has deteriorated so much that he is no longer able to realize what happens during a court hearing. In fact, he was unable to appear in court on Monday. On several tests, he scored well below average. It was also investigated whether Leon was faking his symptoms, but that proved not to be the case.
The judge emphasized Monday that there is no question of choice. "A defendant must simply be able to be able to stand trial, that is one of the principles of our criminal justice system," he said.
