‘Horrific acts with traumatic consequences’
In the court in Utrecht, RTV Utrecht reporter Riks Ozinga sees several femicide cases per year. Every case is intense, he says. “These are often gruesome acts with traumatic consequences for surviving relatives. If a perpetrator adopts a narcissistic, denying attitude, it is even more painful.”
In many cases, the perpetrator is a partner or ex-partner, Ozinga sees. “There are often relationship problems preceded by fierce arguments. Perpetrators cannot bear that the woman wants to end the relationship. It is striking that during court cases they often also hold the woman responsible for their act – and sometimes even flatly deny it.”
It is good that there will be a monument, says the court reporter, to make the threatening signals clear. Because many next of kin let it be known during court cases that there were already “problems” at an earlier stage, such as verbal and physical violence. “The environment can sound the alarm or intervene sooner, but that doesn’t always help. It regularly happens that a suspect has already received a location ban, and still kills the woman.”