Utrecht man in wheelchair set on fire in April still recovering from severe burns

The 69-year-old man who was set on fire in his wheelchair in Utrecht in mid-April sustained third-degree burns over 20 percent of his body, the court in Utrecht revealed on Tuesday during the first preliminary hearing against the two suspects. The man was in a “life-threatening situation” and is still recovering. The court described the case as “intense and tragic.”

Suspects Jan G. (55) and Andrzej K. (37) did not attend the hearing. Neither did the victim.

The men had been loitering near a supermarket on Smaragdplein on April 14 in the hope of receiving money or groceries from shoppers, the court said. A witness saw an argument break out within the group, though the nature of the argument is unclear.

Footage subsequently shows one of the men entering the store, coming out with a bottle of methylated spirits, and pouring it onto the victim’s neck. He also threw something at the victim, possibly a burning cigarette.

The suspects left. When they returned a few minutes later, one of them lit a flyer on fire and threw it at the man in the wheelchair, setting him on fire.

Bystanders pulled the victim out of his chair and extinguished the fire using clothing and water from the supermarket.

The victim was transferred to a burns center following the incident. He is currently recovering at home, his lawyer said. “Burns are very painful; you feel it 24 hours a day,” she said. “It fluctuates.”

The suspects will be observed at the Pieter Baan Center. The next preliminary hearing is scheduled for October 13. The men will remain in custody until then.

The court expects the trial to start early next year at the earliest.