Amsterdam man sentenced to 3½ years for shooting and attempted rape of 18-year-old
A 26-year-old man was sentenced to three and a half years in prison for shooting an 18-year-old woman in the knee and attempting to rape her inside a home in Amsterdam-Zuidoost, the Amsterdam court ruled last week.
The violent attack occurred on May 24 at a residence on Nieuwlandhof. The woman managed to escape and was found a short distance away at Nigtevechthof before being taken to the hospital. She sustained two fractures in her knee, required surgery, and continues to undergo physiotherapy.
The suspect, who has no fixed address in the Netherlands, was arrested on June 9. Prosecutors initially sought a five-year sentence, charging him with attempted murder and attempted rape.
The court reduced the sentence, citing insufficient evidence to prove that the suspect consciously intended to kill the victim. “The court cannot establish that there was a significant chance that the victim would die as a result of the defendant’s actions, nor that the defendant consciously accepted that risk,” the verdict states.
The court found the man guilty of serious bodily harm and convincingly proved the attempted rape. According to the ruling, the suspect shot the woman in the knee, knowing the high likelihood that this would cause serious injury, which it did.
The court’s judgment details that the attack unfolded after the suspect, along with the victim and two other young men, entered the home of a third party, who was not present at the time. Three separate photo identifications linked the suspect to the scene. The victim recognized him as the shooter, and witnesses corroborated that he was present with a firearm and acted aggressively toward the woman.
The victim testified in detail that the suspect attempted sexual acts against her while she resisted. She described being pulled into a bathroom, forced to undress, and subjected to physical assault, including attempts at sexual penetration that were not completed. Witnesses confirmed seeing the victim leave the apartment in her underwear after being shot, supporting her account.
The court concluded that the suspect intentionally inflicted serious bodily harm by shooting her in the knee and used violence and coercion in his attempted sexual assault, meeting the legal standard for attempted rape.
The ruling explicitly cleared the man of premeditated murder and attempted murder charges. The court determined there was no evidence of a preplanned effort to kill the victim.
