Suspect in Hague rugby player's murder sent for psychiatric evaluation

41-year-old Ferry T. from The Hague, who is suspected of murdering a 23-year-old rugby player from The Hague, will soon be admitted to the Pieter Baan Center for an assessment of his psyche. This became apparent on Monday during a first preliminary session at the court in The Hague.

The Public Prosecution Service suspects the man of killing the victim with multiple knife wounds. He then allegedly wanted to cover up the crime by setting the victim on fire. That allegedly happened on Sunday, 23 May this year.

The body of the victim Renée Barendrecht, a rugby player at the Haagsche Rugby Club (HRC), was found next to the cycle path of the Doorniksestraat in Scheveningen, near Pompstationsweg. The suspect was arrested a day later.

After a pre-trial detention of almost three months, Monday was the first preliminary hearing at the court, which decided to continue the pre-trial detention of T. pending the examination of the Pieter Baan Center, where a psychiatrist and psychologist will examine him for seven weeks.

T. attended the hearing via a video link from the prison in Vught. Sobbing with emotion, he called it "Terrible what happened to Renée". He also said that he sympathized with her family and friends. "Every day. And that we wish her family and friends all the strength and support they need. The second thing I want to say is that everything I know has been declared to the police."

The Public Prosecution Service is still conducting a forensic investigation that should answer the question of whether there was also a sex crime.

The next introductory hearing will be on 3 November, and the case may be handled in substance thee months later.