Suspect could face 28 years for killing Anne Faber

The Public Prosecutor demanded 28 years in prison and forced institutionalized psychiatric treatment against Michael P. for raping and killing 25-year-old Anne Faber. "It is unacceptable what agony she must have endured", the Prosecutor said in court on Tuesday, NOS reports. "The fear she must have felt defies all imagination."

The Prosecutor considers it proven that P. deprived Anne Faber of her liberty, raped her and then killed her. It is also proven that P. assaulted five employees of the Pieter Baan Center, where he was admitted for psychiatric examination in preparation of the trial, according to the Prosecutor. "We find him slightly less accountable and agree with the advice to also impose institutionalized psychiatric treatment on him", the prosecutor said. "The suspect can not return to society without treatment."

Demanding a life sentence was also considered, the Prosecutor said. But that would mean that P. would have the chance to be released after 25 years without treatment. "That is completely irresponsible", according to the Prosecutor.

According to the Prosecutor, there are a number of differences between the statements Michael P. made and the findings of the criminal investigation. For example, the Prosecutor believes that P. turned off his phone before attacking Anne Faber and before he went to hide her body in Zeewolde. "This could indicate that the suspect already left the institution's premises with bad intentions and did not want it to be possible to find out where he was on the basis of telephone data." P. claims that his phone was broken in both cases. But according to the Prosecutor, it is unlikely that there was a technical defect exactly when both crimes were committed. Because P. destroyed his phone and threw it away, this can no longer be checked.

The Prosecutor also believes that P. was waiting for his victim. The man claims that he crashed into Faber while riding his scooter by happenstance. But police investigations into their routes show that P. was standing still on the spot where Faber would pass for at least four minutes. An accident can not be ruled out, but it is possible that P. deliberately hit Faber to overpower her, the Prosecutor said. "But we can not say whether he left the institution with a premeditated plan to rape a woman", the Prosecutor said.

According to the Prosecutor, it is plausible that after the rape P. decided to kill Faber, because he must have realized that "a living Anne Faber would lead to him". The Prosecutor also believes that P. used more violence than he admits - Anne was killed in a different way than P. claims. P. also later destroyed trace evidence, including with chlorine. The Public Prosecution Service could not conclusively prove that P. murdered Faber with a premeditated plan. But according to the judiciary, he can be convicted of qualified manslaughter - killing someone during or after a crime to prevent yourself from being caught. The maximum sentence for qualified manslaughter is the same as for murder.

On Tuesday morning Anne Faber's parents both gave a statement in court. Anne's mother said she hoped that P. would never be released again. Anne's father said that he doesn't think that there is a punishment that "will satisfy my sense of justice", according to NOS.

Anne Faber's relatives also want compensation from P. Their lawyer asked the court to make use of a new law for "affection damage" that is set to be implemented on January 1st next year. According to the lawyer, the law is ready for use and the court has "the possibility to anticipate this law."

Anne Faber disappeared while cycling in the Utrecht region on September 29th. Her body was found in a wooded area in Zeewolde on October 12th. She had been raped and murdered. Michael P. was arrested on October 9th after his DNA was found on Anne's jacket. He told the police where to find her body and confessed to killing her. In court on Monday it was revealed that P. said he killed Anne after she called for help.

The court will rule on July 17th.