The Prosecutor's Office is demanding three years in prison plus tbs with compulsory treatment against 23-year-old Dylan T. for threatening lawyer José Engels, attempted extortion and his role in an October 2020 bombing of her former office in Heerhugowaard. According to the prosecutor's office, T. organized the attack with a mortar bomb from the prison where he was then being held for another case. "The rule of law has been severely shaken," the prosecutor said. "This was also an attack on the rule of law."
T., who suffers from antisocial personality disorder, admits the threats, but states that he "only wanted to have a grenade" placed at the office: "It was never my intention to detonate anything."
During an escorted leave in October 2020, T. ran off. Upon his arrest four days later, he had a gun in his pocket. A week after he returned to prison, the bomb went off at his former lawyer's office on Deimoslaan in Heerhugowaard.
Two explosions caused massive damage. 'This is a warning to José,' said a piece of paper found in the mailbox. The fear after the attack was so great that the owners of the property dared not report it.
'Serious damage'
José Engels had been receiving threatening letters from Dylan T. for some time because she "did not assist him enough. Dylan T. was angry with Engels because - according to him - she could not prevent his conditional juvenile Tbs from being converted into a permanent measure. T. demanded as reparation a sum of 9,000 euros from the lawyer. If she did not pay that, "serious damage would be done to her and her office mates. The lawyer immediately reported threats and extortion.
The threats and the attack caused enormous distress to the victim and her office mates, according to victim lawyer Justin Kötter: "She was unable to sleep for a long time. The fact that T. had a gun in his pocket during the time he was on the loose was extra frightening."
Confinement
After further psychological examination, the continuation of the criminal case against T. - after a break of almost a year - at the Alkmaar court was mainly dominated by hearing from experts on what would be the best way to prevent the impulsive T. from going wrong again.
A psychiatrist and psychologist conclude, "The risk of recurrence is substantial, but he is really a borderline case when it comes to the question of whether or not compulsory treatment with tbs is needed." Experts from the probation department judge that mandatory treatment is the safest option. That conclusion is shared by the public prosecutor who, in addition to the three-year prison sentence, is demanding tbs and restraint.
In November last year, 21-year-old Chevelle C. was already convicted for allegedly directing the - so far unknown - assailant on T.'s instructions. C. was sentenced to 30 months in prison, of which 16 months were suspended with a probation period of two years.
Regret
Attorney Roy van den Munckhof argued that T. never wanted an explosion: "He assumed a hand grenade would be laid and did not want to endanger anyone." The lawyer believes Dylan should be treated as soon as possible.
"He's been in jail for 2.5 years. Coercive detention can take as long as 15 years or so. We are talking about a young man of 23. He has expressed regret and is willing to change his life. This is much more appropriate in terms of tbs with conditions - such as supervision by the probation service - than a long-term forced admission to a tbs clinic."
The court will rule on Jan. 24 in the case against Dylan T.
