Amsterdam court convicts Nongo B. in brutal murder of British tourist Danny Castledine
The 24-year-old man accused in the 2022 fatal stabbing of a British tourist in Amsterdam was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 14 years in prison on Friday. The District Court of Amsterdam said Belgian suspect Nongo B. carried out an "extreme outburst of violence" when he stabbed and slashed Danny Castledine dozens of times, and left him to die on a darkened stairwell in the center of the capital. The sentence matched the verdict the OM recommended.
"The suspect took the life of the [victim], who was spending an evening as a tourist in the city center of Amsterdam, in a very violent manner by stabbing him frequently with a knife, or at least a sharp object. [The victim] had a total of 30 stab injuries and 13 cutting injuries, mainly in his head and neck," the court ruled. "After this extreme outburst of violence, the suspect dragged [the victim] to a staircase that led down to a basement and left him there for dead, with his head down and bleeding profusely, without calling for help."
Castledine and a friend arrived in Amsterdam for a weekend getaway on May 31, 2022. He hand his friend separated later that evening. Pedestrians found the body of the 22-year-old on the Singel at about 3:30 a.m. the next day. First responders arriving on the scene tried in vain to revive the British tourist, but pronounced him dead at the scene.
About 10 hours later, police officers found Nongo B. about five kilometers away in Amsterdam-Zuid, near the intersection of De Boelelaan and Parnassussweg. He was taken into custody because he did not have proper identification. Police said at the time that he appeared to be a disturbed individual who had taken a large quantity of drugs. They also found "traces of blood on his clothing and shoes," the Public Prosecution Service (OM) said during the trial. The blood later matched Castledine's blood.
During the investigation, police discovered security camera footage from 2:12 a.m. on June 1 that showed the suspect and victim walking together, and B. appeared to be sober in the footage. Video footage from a different location about 30 minutes later told another story. "The images do not show anything special, but it would turn out to be a fatal encounter. On the Singel, the man attacked the victim out of nowhere. After a short chase, the victim was stabbed 30 times and cut 14 times, mainly on his head and neck," the OM said.
One of those stab wounds cut through the Castledine's right carotid artery causing serious blood loss. "He dragged the body from the roadway to the side of the road and tried to get rid of bloody clothing," the OM claimed.
B.'s attorney had argued for an acquittal saying that the video camera footage from near the scene of the stabbing was not clear enough to identify the suspect in the case. The defense counsel said that all the viewer could see were two shadows, one larger and one smaller. At no point was the image sharp enough to make out B. in the video, the attorney argued.
While the court agreed that the suspect was not clearly seen in the footage of the two walking together near the crime scene and the video of the stabbing itself, B. was clearly seen in footage from the scene minutes later. There were no other passers-by captured on camera until Castledine's body was found. Additionally, a bloody shoe print at the scene closely matched the soles of the suspect's shoes.
"With this act, the suspect was guilty of one of the most serious crimes under the Criminal Code and caused irreparable suffering to the surviving relatives," the court said. It noted the statements made by Castledine's parents and his sister. The court condemned B. for causing "them a great emptiness and unfathomable suffering and sorrow. They have to live in the knowledge that their son and brother, who was in the prime of his life, was killed in a very violent manner."
The court also noted that the two met by chance, were in good spirits, and that B.'s move to attack Castledine came on "suddenly and without visible reason." Experts concluded that B. was addicted to Oxycodone, hallucinogenic Bezodiazepines, and cannabis. However, they said he did not appear to be suffering from a mental disorder except for his addictions. The experts involved said it was not clear if the substance use influenced B.'s behavior, and it also was not clear if his addiction was a motivating factor. That played into the court's decision not to send him to a psychiatric facility as part of B.'s punishment.
B. was also ordered to pay damages of over 71,000 euros, including 20,000 euros each to Castledine's mother and father, and 17,500 euros to the victim's sister for emotional suffering. He also has to compensate the family for another 13,800 euros for the costs of repatriating Castledine's body, and his funeral.
