Rotterdam man's sentence doubled for raping exchange student

A Rotterdam man who violently raped a then 20-year-old Indonesian exchange student in front of her student home in 2018, was sentenced on appeal to four years in prison with institutionalized psychiatric treatment. With that the appeals court basically doubled the original sentence of juvenile detention and juvenile psychiatric treatment the now 21-year-old Gerson F. got, NOS reports.

The appeals court ruled that institutionalized psychiatric treatment is more appropriate, also at the "explicit request" of F. himself. In its ruling, the court took account of the fact that F. had been seriously neglected as a child, facing violence and sexual violence. "On appeal it was established that the suspect has a serious personality disorder and greatly reduced accountability," the court said. This make the risk of recidivism very high, the court said.

Gerson F. attacked the young student in front of her home in Rotterdam's De Esch district on 21 June 2018. He strangled, assaulted, and raped her, leaving her seriously injured. The attack sparked outrage in the neighborhood, with hundreds of locals taking to the street to show support for the young woman with a silent march.