ALREADY IN shock at the murder trial of a 15-year-old Chinese-Dutch “hitman” earlier this week, the Netherlands has again been rocked by the arrest of three teenage boys – two 14-year-olds and a 15-year-old – in connection with the death of a 17-year-old girl, missing since earlier this month.
Although there is no suggestion of any connection between the two cases, there are similarities in that the victims in both attacks were teenage girls, both were stabbed to death, in one case, possibly both, by young males – and both killings took place in Rotterdam.
The latest arrests came as Chun Nam Hau, father of Joyce “Winsie” Hau (15), whose killing was allegedly paid for by her best friend and her friend’s boyfriend after a row over comments posted on Facebook, appealed to judges and politicians to help bring an end to teenage violence.
In a letter to judges hearing the murder case against “Jinhua K” (15), and the charges of conspiracy to murder against “Polly W” (16) and “Wesley C” (17), Mr Hau said: “I notice that children are becoming more and more violent. They are not respectful. They don’t think about others.”
His comments have placed the debate about teenage violence and whether the state, including the police and social services, are doing enough to prevent it, firmly on the political agenda for the general election on September 12th.
Police in The Hague, Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Utrecht have already staged limited industrial action in opposition to cuts and a pay freeze proposed as part of a €13 billion austerity budget for 2013 – which is now the main battleground of the election campaign.
The latest Rotterdam killing is that of Sehriban Akpinar, who was last seen alive when she left her family home on her bicycle early in August. Just two hours later, she was found dead in bushes, with multiple stab wounds and reportedly with her throat cut.
Fishermen found her bicycle in a canal nearby a few days later.
Sehriban, who has since been buried in her family’s native Turkey, was described by a cousin as “sweet and cheerful, but also a bit naive and gullible”.
The 15-year-old boy was arrested in the days after the discovery of the body, and on Tuesday, the two 14-year-olds were arrested.
