Johan stabs neighbor with large kitchen knife, prosecution demands 5 years in prison and tbs with coercion
Bunschoten-Spakenburg - Johan P. from Bunschoten actually has no idea why he nearly stabbed his neighbor to death with two large kitchen knives last year. "I was in a divorce and I was completely fed up," the 39-year-old suspect stated today in the Utrecht District Court. "I didn't want to kill him," he added. But he stabbed his neighbor no less than 17 times in a span of 18 seconds. It was due to sheer luck and quick action by his wife and bystanders that he survived.
The prosecution is demanding five years of imprisonment tbs with compulsory treatment for the suspect. To reduce the risk of recurrence and protect society, P. must undergo long-term and intensive treatment, according to the prosecutor. She does not trust that he will cooperate voluntarily in treatment because he does not acknowledge what is wrong with him.
The defendant, who was once an optician, made an absent and vulnerable impression during the hearing, which was massively attended by people from his home area. Mumbling softly, he answered the judges' questions, sometimes appearing confused and frequently contradicting himself.
A miracle
It is a miracle that the victim survived the stabbing incident on Saturday afternoon, April 15. He was outside in the street wiring his car when he felt two stabbings. He fell to the ground and saw that neighbor from out of nowhere was wildly hacking at him with two large kitchen knives. He tried to kick off and then felt two stabs in his legs.
After that, the victim felt nothing, but he was stabbed with force many more times. his 11-year-old son witnessed it and shouted to his mother, "Daddy is being stabbed." Johan stopped and took off in his car. His heavily bleeding neighbor was carried inside. Only through quick life-saving actions by his wife and bystanders did he survive.
Johan jumped into his car and drove off at high speed. He lost control of the wheel and ended up in the ditch. He became trapped and was freed by the fire department and arrested by the police.
Varying statements
The gruesome stabbing made a big impression on residents of the Cornelis Houtman Street. Many people saw it happen, including small children and the victim's wife and son.
The suspect stated after his arrest that he only wanted to threaten and scare away his neighbor. He claimed he had only stabbed when the neighbor had kicked off. But CCTV footage and witness statements show that he attacked the victim with the knives from nowhere.
The footage shows him walking out his front door with the knives and going back in shortly after. Half a minute later, he walks out again with the knives behind his back toward the neighbor. "If you want to threaten or scare away the neighbor, you don't keep those knives hidden behind your back," the court president noted.
Non-congenital brain injury
The defendant reiterated several times in court that he had suffered brain damage from an accident seven years ago and became easily overexcited as a result. Because his wife had left him and he was not allowed to see his children, things had gone wrong in his head.
Experts at the Pieter Baan Center conclude that this may have played a role in combination with other serious psychiatric problems. For example, the suspect is wrongly convinced that the neighborhood terrorizes and harasses him by damaging his house, but according to the experts these are delusions. They recommend imposing tbs with conditions on the man.
Forced
The prosecutor is not confident that the advised treatment will succeed. That can only happen if he cooperates fully with it and takes the medication prescribed for him. But according to the prosecutor, the defendant does not acknowledge the syndrome that has been diagnosed in him and previous voluntary treatments were unsuccessful. He did not take his medication then either.
According to the defendant, the accident damaged part of his brain. He is afraid that medications for psychosis affect the healthy parts of his brain, he explained in court.
Traumatic
The consequences of the stabbing incident have been particularly traumatic for the victim. He is covered in scars all over his body and has still not fully recovered from his injuries. He will probably never be able to use his hand properly again because the nerves and tendons have been severed.
The effects on his wife and son are also still felt daily. The three family members demand substantial damages from the defendant. The prosecutor believes Johan P. should pay that.
Defense
P.'s lawyer believes the court should abide by the experts' advice. He is convinced that his client will fully cooperate with that. In addition, because it is important that treatment begin quickly, the court should impose a prison sentence of up to one year. Since he has spent ten months on remand, he would be able to join a clinic quickly.
The court will take two weeks to reach a decision and will issue its ruling on March 6. Johan P. has already said he does not want to be there.
