Man jailed for 21 years after strangling ex-girlfriend with dog chain in femicide case

The district court in The Hague has sentenced 39-year-old Paul V. to 21 years in prison for the killing of his former partner, 30-year-old Laura. Judges concluded that he strangled her with a dog chain on January 29, 2024. Throughout the proceedings, V. maintained his innocence, arguing that Laura had died by suicide.

Although the Public Prosecution Service argued there was insufficient proof of a planned killing and sought a conviction for manslaughter, along with an 18-year prison term and compulsory psychiatric treatment, the judges ruled that the evidence supported a murder conviction. They declined to impose TBS, citing expert assessments that the likelihood of a repeat offence in cases of partner homicide is comparatively low.

According to V., he discovered Laura in the living room of their home in Leiden on the morning of January 29, with a dog chain around her neck and the leash secured to a radiator pipe. She was taken to the hospital, where she died the following day.

Investigators quickly questioned V.’s account and arrested him soon after the incident. Prosecutors say that when Laura was allegedly strangled, the couple’s two children, aged 7 and 9 at the time, as well as V.’s mother, who resided in the home, were inside the house.

Laura and V. had been together for approximately 13 years before she ended the relationship in April 2023. V. had made plans to move elsewhere, and according to the case file, the day of the killing was meant to be his final day living at the Lepelaarsoord address.

The court concluded that V. acted with premeditation, killing Laura and then attempting to make her death appear to be a suicide. Investigators found evidence on his phone showing searches for noose-tying techniques and legal cases involving suicide, while the dog leash used in the incident had been purchased online.

Judges concluded that V. displayed controlling and jealous behaviour towards Laura, frequently monitoring her and sending large numbers of messages, sometimes up to 600 a day. According to the court, he had great difficulty accepting the end of their relationship.

Prosecutors characterised the killing as the final act in a pattern of coercive and abusive behaviour. In its ruling, the court also referred to the broader issue of femicide, noting that public and academic attention to the phenomenon highlights the risks some women face when asserting their independence, especially when a former partner is unwilling to accept being excluded from their lives.