Truck driver who struck and killed motorcycle cop gets 12 years in prison

Truck driver Willem M. was convicted for causing the death of motorcycle police officer Arno de Korte. The man was sentenced on Wednesday to twelve years in prison and compulsory psychological treatment in an institution (TBS). Dozens of De Korte's colleagues attended the Rotterdam court hearing where the verdict was announced. M. was not there.

In addition to the prison sentence and the TBS order, the court in Rotterdam banned the 47-year-old truck driver from Melissant from getting behind the wheel of a vehicle.

On 7 July 2021, M. hit the motorcycle cop from behind at a red traffic light on the Waalhavenweg in Rotterdam. The 47-year-old police officer was dragged hundreds of meters and died at the scene. M. drove off after the collision. He even returned, driving past the spot where he hit the motorcycle cop two more times. There were several bystanders there already. M. said during the trial that he had no memory of doing that, but the court did not believe him.

The court ruled that M. intentionally and deliberately hit the victim. M. was found guilty of manslaughter. The police officer had given the truck driver a sign to follow him, and, according to the court, the victim drove more than 20 seconds in front of the truck. At the red light the truck driver was driving at 44 kilometers per hour, and accelerated after the collision, the court said.

De Korte lost his life in a brutal way, according to the court. "The manslaughter has left deep scars on the life of the family," the judge said in the verdict. The sentence mostly matched what the Public Prosecution Service had demanded. The court rejected the prosecutor's call to permanently ban Willem M. from driving a truck professionally.

The truck driver was involved in two other serious accidents, one each in 2015 and 2020. The victim in the first incident was also a motorcycle police officer. He lost an arm in the collision. In the accident in 2020, which did not lead to a criminal case, a 79-year-old woman was killed. In determining the sentence, the court took into account that M. had already been convicted once before for a collision with a police officer.

The court found it important that the suspect receive psychiatric treatment. He was diagnosed with a disorder at the Pieter Baan Center, which, according to the court, means there is a real chance of recurrence.

"It was an emotional day for all relatives and colleagues. The grief and feeling of loss over Arno is still so palpable. There is no punishment that can take that feeling away. The ruling does the greatest possible justice to what has been done to Arno and his loved ones," said Rotterdam Police Chief Fred Westerbeke in response to the verdict.