Man sentenced to five years in prison for going to studio to murder TV presenter 

Christ T. was convicted on Wednesday for attempting to kill series presenter Tim Hofman in September 2023. The District Court in Midden-Nederland sentenced the 42-year-old from Breda to five years in jail, and treatment at a TBS psychiatric facility. The Public Prosecution Service (OM) had recommended 12 years in jail with mandatory psychiatric treatment at a TBS facility last month.

The Lelystad courtroom heard testimony about the events on 6 September 2023, when T. entered the Hilversum offices of broadcaster BNNVARA with a converted gas pistol and said that he wanted to kill Hofman. The man was also tried for preparing the murder of an aid worker from Oss in August last year.

On the day of the attempted murder of Hofman, T. sent a manifesto via Telegram in which he opposed ideas such as "left, extreme left, feminist or woke." Moreover, during police interrogations, the man had "himself filled in the definition of terrorist intent" when explaining why he wanted to murder the BNNVARA presenter.

The court found it proven that T. had prepared and wanted to carry out the murder of Hofman with terrorist intent, just like the murder of the aid worker. It was taken into account in the verdict that T. was not of sound mind and that he prematurely abandoned his intended crimes and turned himself in.

These are the reasons that the court felt five years in prison minus the pre-trial imprisonment was appropriate, in combination with conditional psychiatric treatment. This is the maximum sentence that a court can give if there are conditions linked to the psychiatric treatment.

The OM had five charges against T., including insult and illegal gun possession. The court further found it proven that T. had planned the murder of Hofman with terrorist intent.