Man who fatally stabbed 11-year-old girl is "mentally incompetent," experts conclude
Hamazh L., the 29-year-old man suspected of stabbing an 11-year-old girl to death in Nieuwegein early this year, must be considered mentally incompetent, experts at the Pieter Baan Center concluded after observing the man for months. The court shared the main findings of the experts’ reports in a preparatory hearing ahead of his trial, RTV Utrecht reports.
The girl, 11-year-old Sohani, was walking to visit a friend when L. suddenly attacked her with a knife. Several other children witnessed the attack, and one of them called the emergency services. They responded in large numbers, but were unable to save Sohani’s life. She died at the scene.
The police arrested L. in a nearby garden a short time after the attack. He had been under the supervision of the probation service for several years and was receiving treatment from multiple care institutions.
The experts at the Pieter Baan Center concluded that L. has been suffering from schizophrenia for around a decade. He is prone to psychoses and experiences them regularly. He was reportedly experiencing a psychotic episode when he attacked the child. L. had also used drugs just before encountering Sohani. This contributed to his “severe psychotic state.”
The experts recommended that L. be admitted to a psychiatric institution to receive compulsory treatment. They consider the risk of recurrence very high.
The substantive trial against L. will likely happen sometime next year.
