Brutal crimes of Utrecht serial rapist laid out; suspect remains silent

The case against the so-called Utrecht serial rapist Gerard T. is appearing in the court in Utrecht on Monday and Tuesday. He is suspected of at least four rapes in and around the city. A number of gruesome details about how he attacked his victims were revealed during the hearing on Monday, according to AD reporter Ivar Penris, tweeting live from within the court room.

The rapist used a bicycle pump in one of his attacks. He kidnapped another woman on the back of his scooter, cut her underwear to pieces with a knife, raped her and left her tied to a tree. When one of his victims asked him to use a condom, he told her "I won't get you pregnant, I never do that".

T. remained silent throughout the hearing.

The court discussed DNA evidence in the case with DNA experts from the Netherlands Forensic Institute. DNA experts say there is a "high degree of probability" that there is a DNA match with regard to the sperm evidence, but a 100 percent degree of certainty is not possible

T.'s mental health was examined in the Pieter Baan Center, but as he refused to talk to the psychiatrists, it is impossible to determine whether he was mentally accountable during the rapes. The experts can also not say anything about the chance that he will repeat the crimes. T. previously claimed that he suffered from PTSD, but the experts could find no sign of the disorder in him.

The rapist's victims also had a chance to speak on Monday. The talked about the emotional impact the rape had on their lives. One women moved to the United States because she was too scared to keep living in the Netherlands. Another lost a lot her friends because of emotional instability that arose after the rape.