Two Dutch suspects in Mallorca fatal assault released from custody

Two men held as suspects connected to a fatal assault in Mallorca, Spain, will not have to remain in jail before they will be tried, a court in Lelystad ruled on Wednesday. The two, Daan van S., 18, and Kaan B., 19, were released under certain conditions. The Public Prosecution Service (OM) did not oppose the suspension of the pre-trial detention, saying it does not suspect them of involvement in the violent death of Carlo Heuvelman.

The lawyers for the three other suspects also requested that the pre-trial detention be lifted or suspended, but the court rejected these requests. The OM accused Sanil B. (19), Mees T. (18) and Hein B. (18) of being involved in the fatal assault of the 27-year-old. In addition, the OM suspects the trio of attempted manslaughter by kicking and hitting one of Heuvelman's friends when the victim was already on the ground. Images of this were shared on the Dutch website GeenStijl.

The Public Prosecution Service suspects Daan van S. and Kaan B. of several crimes, including attempted homicide regarding the first incident at a cafe on the boulevard of the Spanish seaside resort of El Arenal. That was prior to the fatal beating of Carlo Heuvelman.

At cafe De Zaak, they and three other youths from Hilversum allegedly hit and kicked another victim at 1:45 a.m., while the victim was already on the ground. Another victim suffered a broken nose in this incident.

Van S. and Kaan B. will be released early Thursday afternoon. They were forbidden from contacting their co-defendants and victims involved in the case. The court also ruled that they may not use alcohol or drugs. This will be monitored by urine tests. The pair must also respond to requests from the police or the OM.

According to the court, the evidence against the other three is currently strong enough to justify keeping them in jail. They deny that they were involved in the deadly violence against Heuvelman, but according to the court witness statements were among several elements contradicting them.

In the case against Sanil B. there was also DNA evidence. Trace evidence matching Heuvelman's DNA were found on one of B.'s shoes.

The court also wants a psychological profile drawn up on Hein B. and Sanil B. Mees T. already spoke to a psychologist.

The next hearing is scheduled for January 21. This will be a pre-trial hearing during which the defence's investigative requests will be discussed. The suspects who were released earlier are also expected to attend the pre-trial hearing.

The court aims to deal with the Mallorca case before the summer of 2022.