Suzanne’s sister was stabbed to death in Tilburg on March 31 last year by her boyfriend. This turned the world of Suzanne and her family upside down. “We had never had anything to do with the police or justice. Fortunately there was Victim Support.”
Immediately after the fatal stabbing, there was help for Suzanne and her parents from family detectives. They received the really long-term help from Femke van der Linden of Victim Support.
“It is very nice that there is someone who tells what is going to happen. Femke kept in touch with us herself. She arranged a lot for us,” says Suzanne. “We had never had anything to do with the police, justice or Victim Support and we had no idea what to expect. Femke then guided us through everything that came our way. Contacts with the Public Prosecution Service, practical matters such as appointments with a psychologist, but also a victim lawyer, arranging compensation, guiding until we were allowed to tell our story in court. It’s unimaginable what happens to you when something like this happens.”
“The relationship with my sister was very good. We had a close-knit family and her boyfriend was a real part of it. He was still with us the day before her death. It all came like a bolt from the blue,” says Suzanne.
“My parents and I look back with a good feeling on the contact with Femke. She was a real confidant for us. A very close bond has also developed over the past year. It would have been very different without her, although we won’t get my sister back with it. It remains a very great loss.”