A 65-year-old man from Hoogeveen was sentenced to four years in prison for threat and a murder attempt on his ex-wife in October 2023. A year of this is conditional.
The punishment is lower than the six years in prison, which the court in Assen imposed him in November.
This has to do with the treatment that the court finds necessary for the man. The higher court agrees with the court that the Hoogevener with his vengeful act tried to rob his ex-wife of life. He couldn’t cope with the fact that she had ended the relationship and had a new friend at that time.
He first sent her death threats via WhatsApp and then waited for an apartment building on Kortewijkstraat in Hoogeveen, where the woman lived at the time. He hid a meat knife under his coat and put it on the woman four times. Very bleeding, she fled an apartment building. The knife was closed on a rib. That was her happiness, it turned out later.
The court ruled a shocking event. In itself, a long prison sentence, for which the court chose, is a suitable punishment. However, the Court of Appeal has taken more account of the blank criminal record of the man. And the personality disorder with compulsive narcissistic traits that the man is struggling with. He also suffered from that at the time of his act. This makes the man to a reduced extent.
The experts see opportunities for a treatment process that teaches the man to deal with his emotions and can be intervened in time when the stress rises too much. According to the psychiatrist, this is possible in a psychiatric outpatient clinic, whereby the man can be taken briefly in the event of a crisis situation. The suspect was willing to work with. The probation service also supports this advice.
But a partly conditional prison sentence can only be imposed at a maximum prison sentence of four years. The Court therefore faces a dilemma, because the punishment for such a serious offense must then be adjusted. The Court received an extra push in this by the victim’s statement, in which she indicated that she would rather see that the suspect will receive adequate treatment than staying in jail for a long time.
In addition, the court also imposes a contact and location ban with his ex-wife for the duration of five years. This is done immediately, because the man still saw the chance of sending cards and letters to his ex from prison.