Page Description
Learn about the Schiedammer murder case
and its lessons on the risks of over-relying on confessions
and circumstantial evidence in criminal investigations.
Hundreds of experts knew about judicial errors’.
The Hague, the Netherlands
During working visits and courses at the Netherlands Forensic Institute, hundreds of criminal law experts discussed the investigation into the murder of Nienke Kleiss from Schiedam. The Advocate General who dealt with the case on appeal on behalf of the Public Prosecution Service also followed such a course.
This is what Minister of Justice Donner wrote in response to questions from the Lower House.
The advocate general then requested a meeting with the NFI. However, this did not change the prosecution’s opinion. Although experts from the NFI doubted whether the suspect Kees B. could be the perpetrator, he was nevertheless convicted of the murder. No DNA of Kees B. was found on the girl Neinke.
According to Donner, without the confession of Wik H., the ultimate perpetrator, four years after the murder, it would probably never have come to light that B. was innocent.
None of the more than 700 trainees from the judiciary, prosecution and police sounded the alarm in response to the doubts expressed by the NFI, Donner reported. The Minister does not intend to take measures himself against the employees who made mistakes. Today, the Lower House is holding an urgent debate on the Schiedammer Park murder.
‘Honderden experts wisten van missers justitie’
Den Haag
Honderden strafrechtexperts hebben tijdens werkbezoeken en cursussen op het Nederlands Forensisch Instituut het onderzoek naar de moord op Nienke Kleiss uit Schiedam besproken. Ook de advocaat-generaal die namens het openbaar ministerie de zaak in hoger beroep behandelde, volgde zo’n cursus.
Dat schrijft justitieminister Donner in antwoord op vragen van de Tweede Kamer.
De advocaat-generaal vroeg daarop een gesprek aan met het NFI. Dat veranderde de opvatting van deze aanklaagster echter niet. Hoewel experts van het NFI betwijfelden of de verdacht Kees B. de dader kon zijn, werd hij toch voor de moord veroordeeld. Op het meisje Neinke was geen DNA van Kees B aangetroffen.
Volgens Donner zou zonder de bekentenis van Wik H., de uiteindelijke dader, vier jaar na de moord waarschijnlijk nooit aan het licht zijn gekomen dat B. onschuldig vast zat.
Geen van de meer dan 700 cursisten van justitie, openbaar ministerie en politie trok naar aanleiding van de door het NFI geuite twijfels aan de bel, meldt Donner. De minister is niet van plan zelf maatregelen te nemen tegen de medewerkers die fouten hebben gemaak. De Tweede Kamer houdt vandaag een spoeddebat over de Schiedammer Parkmoord.
In 2000 Nienke Kleiss was murdered in the Beatrix park from Schiedam. The suspect called the police for finding a body.
An under-age witness was abused during police interrogation in order to provide incriminating evidence.
The suspect has falsely confessed to committing the crime, but has recanted such confession.
He was sentenced in 2002 to 18 years’ imprisonment and mandatory psychiatric treatment.
In 2004 it became apparent that Wik H. was the real culprit. DNA evidence also cleared Borsboom.
His jail time was interrupted and eventually he was partially rehabilitated, though not declared innocent.
As a result of the scandal, Commission Posthumus was created in order to review possible wrongful convictions.
This miscarriage of justice eventually received a lot of attention due to an accumulation of blunders by the police, the judiciary, experts and politicians. This led to much commotion.
In 2005, the Board of Procurators General set up an investigation committee led by Advocate General Frits Posthumus to critically evaluate the work of the police, the judiciary and the judiciary.
The report by the Posthumus Committee led to the establishment of the permanent Committee for the Evaluation of Closed Criminal Cases (Posthumus II Committee), which would investigate miscarriages of justice.
The facts that came to light in this process showed that there was more than one miscarriage of justice.
This case, among others, led to critical attention for interrogation methods in criminal investigations.
Deze justitiële dwaling kreeg uiteindelijk veel aandacht door een opeenstapeling van blunders bij politie, justitie, deskundigen en politiek. Dit leidde tot veel commotie.
Het College van procureurs-generaal heeft in 2005 een onderzoekscommissie ingesteld onder leiding van advocaat-generaal Frits Posthumus voor een kritische evaluatie van het werk van politie, justitie en de rechterlijke macht.
Het rapport van de commissie-Posthumus heeft geleid tot het instellen van de permanente Commissie evaluatie afgesloten strafzaken (commissie-Posthumus-II), die justitiële dwalingen zou gaan onderzoeken.
Door de feiten die in dit traject aan het licht zijn gekomen, bleek dat er sprake was van meer dan een justitiële dwaling.
Onder meer deze zaak leidde tot kritische aandacht voor de verhoormethoden bij het strafvorderlijk onderzoek.
The Schiedammer murder case was a high-profile criminal case in the Netherlands that involved the wrongful conviction of two men for the rape and murder of a 10-year-old girl named Nienke Kleiss in Schiedam in 2000. The key points about the case include:
The crime: In June 2000, Nienke Kleiss was found dead in a park in Schiedam. She had been sexually assaulted and suffocated. The police investigation led to the arrest and conviction of a man named Cees B. who was sentenced to 18 years in prison in 2003.
The evidence: The main evidence against Cees B. was a confession that he gave to the police after a lengthy interrogation. However, this confession was later found to be false, and the other evidence against him was circumstantial at best. There was no DNA evidence linking him to the crime scene, and several pieces of physical evidence that did exist were not properly analyzed.
The wrongful conviction: In 2005, a man named Wik H. was arrested for a similar crime and his DNA was found to match the DNA found on Nienke Kleiss. He eventually confessed to her murder and was sentenced to life in prison in 2007. Cees B. was released from prison in 2006, after spending three years behind bars for a crime he did not commit.
The aftermath: The wrongful conviction of Cees B. led to a public outcry and a review of the Dutch criminal justice system. It also led to changes in police interrogation techniques and the introduction of new rules for handling DNA evidence. Cees B. was eventually compensated for his wrongful conviction.
Overall, the Schiedammer murder case highlights the dangers of relying too heavily on confessions and circumstantial evidence in criminal investigations. It also underscores the importance of proper forensic analysis and the need for reforms to prevent future wrongful convictions.
2 Peter R de Vries 2003 afl 06 01 mei Twijfels over de juistheid veroordeling kindermoordenaar nl gesproken
3 Peter R. de Vries Fragment Schiedammer Parkmoord (2003)
3 mei 2021
Here are the key points about The Schiedammer murder case:
The crime: In 1999, a 10-year-old girl named Nienke Kleiss was kidnapped, raped, and murdered in the Dutch town of Schiedam. Her body was found in a park near her home.
The investigation: Police arrested a suspect named Cees B. who had a criminal record for sexual offenses. He initially denied involvement but later confessed to the crime under police interrogation. The confession was later retracted.
The trial: In 2003, Cees B. was convicted of the kidnapping, rape, and murder of Nienke Kleiss and sentenced to life in prison. The main evidence against him was his confession, which was supported by circumstantial evidence.
The wrongful conviction: In 2006, new DNA evidence was found that proved Cees B. was not the perpetrator of the crime. He was released from prison and compensated for his wrongful conviction. The true perpetrator, Jos de G., was later identified through DNA evidence and sentenced to life in prison.
The aftermath: The Schiedammer murder case led to a review of the Dutch criminal justice system and changes to police interrogation techniques. It also highlighted the importance of DNA evidence in criminal investigations.
Overall, the Schiedammer murder case is a tragic example of how a rush to judgment and reliance on circumstantial evidence can lead to wrongful convictions. It underscores the importance of careful and thorough investigations, and the need for reforms to prevent such miscarriages of justice in the future.
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