Dutch court convicts identical twin of rape based on unique DNA investigation

The 28-year-old Rick K. from Hoogezand was sentenced to 45 months in prison for rape based on unique DNA research. K. always denied raping a 76-year-old woman in De Strubben-Kniphorstbosch nature reserve, claiming that his twin brother was the perpetrator.

But according to the DNA research, it is over 1 billion times more likely that Rick K. raped the woman in July 2019 than his identical twin brother did. The 76-year-old woman was walking in the reserve when a man attacked her in broad daylight. He pulled down her pants and raped her. The attacker's DNA was found on her waistband.

In August 2020, the Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) launched an investigation into the possible differences in the DNA profiles of these identical twin brothers. According to the court, the five usable differences that the NFI discovered have sufficient evidential value to convict this suspect as the perpetrator.

The court said that the testimony from experts who carried out the investigation was extremely important, even though such an investigation had never been carried out before. Apart from that, there was still evidence uncovered in K.'s telephone records and the witness statements of people who were staying in the nature reserve at the time of the rape. In addition, K.'s alibi was shot down by his friends.

The Public Prosecution Service had previously recommended that the court convict K., and sentence him to three years in prison. The court’s sentence was higher than the recommendation due to the victim’s advanced age. Additionally, K. continued to deny the charges, even as the evidence piled up against him. The man tried to pin the blame on his twin brother. "He takes no responsibility for his own actions, which is downright shocking," the court said.

The man was also convicted of assaulting his ex-boyfriend in 2017 and 2018. K. is developmentally disabled and also has a developmental disorder, and as a result is considered somewhat less accountable for his actions.

The court ruled that the man must immediately return to prison.