Attorney demands investigation into safety measures prior to Leiderdorp femicide

Sébas Diekstra, the attorney for the daughters of Elvira, the 52-year-old woman from Leiderdorp who was killed in January, is calling on the Inspectorate of Justice and Security to examine the protective measures in place before her death. He is also raising concerns about how the risks to her safety were assessed.

The victim’s 39-year-old former partner was already facing prosecution for allegedly issuing sustained and serious death threats against her and her children. She filed a police report on August 5 last year.

He was scheduled to stand trial in February for those threats, but by that time, he had been detained on suspicion of killing his ex-partner at her home on Bolderikkamp in Leiderdorp on the evening of Saturday, January 10.

“Given the nature and severity of the threats, the question arises whether a structured risk assessment was conducted in this case and whether an integrated safety plan was drawn up,” Diekstra writes in his request to the Inspectorate of Justice and Security.

He also wants to know whether protective measures were considered, such as a contact or area ban, or other forms of supervision or intervention. He hopes that the requested investigation will provide insight into the extent to which the agencies involved in femicide prevention exchanged information.

The victim’s attorney states that he has never encountered a situation in which a client was murdered while a criminal case against the perpetrator was still underway.

The court in The Hague will hold the first preparatory session regarding Elvira’s murder on April 9.