A 39-year-old Moroccan has been sentenced to three years in prison for stabbing an Algerian roommate in the asylum seekers’ center in Assen. The man was sentenced to four years in prison.
The stabbing incident was preceded by an argument about opening a window. The Moroccan wanted fresh air, his roommates didn’t want drafts. The Moroccan then took a knife and made swinging and stabbing movements with it. According to the judge, he took the chance to kill the other. He, like the Public Prosecution Service, considered attempted manslaughter proven.
The victim was stabbed in the back, leg and head, among other things. A disfiguring scar on the face is a lasting reminder of what happened on December 31. Worse was prevented through the intervention of a roommate. According to the Moroccan, he had to defend himself. The judge did not agree with this. The victim was attacked from behind. This was witnessed by witnesses who stated more credible than the man who stabbed.
The judge comes to a lower sentence because he took more into account the personal circumstances of the Moroccan. He shared a room with Afghans and because of the cultural differences he was bullied by them. This is what the judge believes. “It does not justify what happened, but it does give color and context in which it took place,” the judge said.
The Moroccan man has been living in the Netherlands for eight years. He had a temporary residence permit through marriage to a Polish woman. In those eight years he was not convicted in the Netherlands. He is now staying illegally in the Netherlands. The man must pay the victim a compensation of 3500 euros.