Suspect in teen girl hit and run killing must still be prosecuted, Amsterdam court rules

The Amsterdam court has decided that the Public Prosecution Service (OM) must still prosecute the then 28-year-old man suspected of the fatal collision with 14-year-old Tamar in 2020. This decision was taken in a so-called Article 12 procedure that was initiated by lawyer Sébas Diekstra on behalf of the girl's parents.

Tamar left her home on the night of July 25, 2020 after an argument about bedtime. The police later found her body on the verge of the Zeedijk between Marken and Monnickendam. Last year, the OM in Noord-Holland ruled that a then 28-year-old German man was responsible, but that he could not have suspected that there had been a collision. The man stated that he drove on because he thought he had hit a hole in the road.

At the time, the OM decided to impose a fine on him only because he had not paid sufficient attention to the road. The parents challenged this decision with the Article 12 procedure.

The court now says that insufficient investigation has been made into the case. The parents still have questions about what exactly happened that night. For example, there are indications that the body of the teenager may have been moved after the collision.

A spokesperson for the OM explained there is now a further investigation being conducted into the case. Lawyer Anis Boumanjal, who represents the suspect, reports in a response to this that his client is cooperating and that he thinks the investigation will show that no criminal offenses will come forward about him.

Diekstra, who represents Tamar's parents, says the court's decision gives the parents "the utmost confidence" that justice will ultimately be done to the case and to Tamar. "It should not be left unmentioned that the way in which the police and the OM have worked on the case in the past period has been an enormous support for clients."