Limburg man held for breaking into woman's student room and raping her in 2003
An investigation into the overnight rape of a woman in student housing in Nijmegen about 20 years ago appeared to be solved, police said. An arrest in the case was announced on Friday. A renewed trace investigation led to the suspect, who is now 53 years of age.
The young victim filed a police report in 2003 claiming that a man broke into her student room at night and sexually assaulted her. "Despite extensive police investigations, the case was not solved in 2003," police said on Friday.
The files related to the unsolved crime eventually made their way to a cold case team working at the Oost-Nederland police district. Investigators determined that new forensic techniques and strategies could be used to generate new leads.
Police eventually found their suspect, who was 23 years old when the violent crime took place. The man now resides in Echt-Susteren, Limburg, about 100 kilometers south of Nijmegen. No further information was revealed about the incident, the suspect, or the investigation.
The man was brought before an examining magistrate on Friday. He was remanded into custody for two weeks. Near the end of his remand, he can be brought before a three-judge panel which can decide to extend his pre-trial detention for up to 90 more days, order him released subject to monitoring conditions, or free him entirely.
