Mustapha S. went through the Pijp like a madman on that Friday evening in May. He tried to stab a man in a gym and when he couldn’t he ran outside where he immediately stabbed Roy Titawanno with 10 to 15 stabs. No sooner had Roy died than he was already walking toward the next unsuspecting victim. After the fatality and the three seriously injured victims, he washed his knife in his father’s convenience store and then left a last man around the corner with 10 to 12 stab wounds.
Despite the incredible suffering that 30-year-old Amstelvener Mustapha S. inflicted in fifteen minutes, the Amsterdam court does not see a prison sentence. In itself, the judge, who pronounced the verdict, stated that it has been proven that Mustapha S. was guilty of murder and five attempted murders. He would have acted with premeditation. But at the same time, he also proved insane during the horror incident. “Although he walked out of his father’s shop with knives and was therefore out to stab people, he did not act of his own free will,” the judge explained. S. is said to be in a prolonged psychosis and has been instructed by voices and delusions.
‘Great danger to society’
Experts agreed with this view during the trial two weeks ago. The judge referred to it. On the advice of the specialists, the court also ruled that Mustapha S. is a great danger to society. He also does not show a good understanding of his disease. During the hearing of the case, he said that “he would never do such a thing.” The court wants him to be treated as soon as possible.
Mustapha S. was not present at the verdict himself. His mother and sister were there. They saw how some of the victims listened silently to the judge’s verdict. At first sight there was resignation. The court also acknowledged their distress. “The victims are scarred for life. Not only physically, also mentally. They have difficulty picking up their old lives and are confronted with the scars on a daily basis.”
It was also an event that marked their lives for the rest of society. Witnesses saw how a wild man strode around him and immediately went on, looking for the next victim. Emergency services were unable to cope with the sheer number of casualties. Bystanders had to watch as victims sometimes had to wait half an hour for help.