It is the trial of the year 2013: the farmer from Oudwoude hears in the courthouse in Leeuwarden what sentence he will receive. Jasper S. is convicted of the rape and murder of Marianne Vaatstra. He is sentenced to 18 years in prison for murder, after a demand from the Public Prosecution Service of 20 years. The judge assesses S. as fully accountable. The murderer must also pay compensation to father Bauke Vaatstra. After serving this sentence, the murderer can be a free man again in 2024.
The punishment for a murderer
- Eighteen years in prison for Jasper S
- Marianne Vaatstra was gruesomely murdered
- No appeal
- Criminal record
- Multiple room
- When will Jasper S. be released again?
- Compensation for father Vaatstra
Eighteen years in prison for Jasper S
Judge Bert Dölle will deliver the verdict on April 19, 2013. Jasper S. then had two weeks to appeal, as did the Public Prosecution Service, but both the Public Prosecution Service and Jasper S. decided not to do so. Both parties want peace after the ruling. S. heard eighteen years in prison. His lawyer Jan Vlug was disappointed about this. The eighteen-year prison sentence is based on the fact that the judge assumed responsibility and murder. S. had time to change his mind before he took the girl’s life.
Murder and not manslaughter
He reflected on the rape and thought about his family. He realized the terrible impact of his act on his family. At that time, Marianne Vaatstra was still alive and the farmer from Oudwoude could have walked away feeling guilty. He would not escape punishment, his family would be shocked to the core and Marianne would have to live with a brutal rape that happened to her, but she would still have lived. At that moment, S. chose to take the life of the only witness to the rape, the victim herself. The judge therefore speaks of murder and not of manslaughter, as S.’s lawyer argued. Vlug emphasized that the farmer had acted on impulse and that this was therefore manslaughter. The court ruled that Jasper S. had enough time to think about it.
Marianne Vaatstra was gruesomely murdered
The gruesome facts are reviewed again in court on the day of the verdict. S. drove Marianne into the meadow at the threat of a knife. He raped her several times. Then he turned her over so that she was lying on her stomach. He then tried to strangle her with her own bra. He then heard her breathing and then pulled her up by the hair and stabbed her in the neck three times with his pocket knife. Judge Dölle believes that this could not have been an impulse. This was a calculated murder. He killed the girl out of fear of discovery. From the judge’s words you can hear that S. has done more than he said. The judge believes that everything indicates that Marianne fiercely resisted and that S. tied her up.
No appeal
Both the guilty party and the victim’s family do not want the burden of an appeal case again. Although the sentence was two years shorter than the Public Prosecution Service had demanded, the Public Prosecution Service is not dissatisfied. Marianne Vaatstra’s father is also not considering an appeal. Bauke Vaatstra preferred to see a life sentence for the murderer of his daughter. The family now lives with the prospect that Jasper S. may be released again in 11.5 years.
Conversation with the ,rat,
Vaatstra still wants a conversation with his daughter’s killer. He considers him a rat. The father wants to hear details that have not yet been clarified, such as Marianne’s resistance and the tying of hands, from the perpetrator. He considers forgiveness impossible.
Criminal record
Jasper S. had a clean criminal record. The judge took this into account in the sentence. Only someone with a mental disorder is capable of doing what Jasper did, the judge believes. Yet psychological and psychiatric research shows that S. is accountable. Behavioral experts believe that Jasper S. has allowed his sex drive to overpower him. The brutal way in which the man acted aggravated the punishment, as did the fact that Marianne’s relatives had to find her naked and mutilated.
Multiple room
The case against Jasper S. was heard by the multiple chamber. Three judges dealt with it. Kees Post and Christine Koelman sat next to Bert Dölle. The three of them came to a verdict, which was pronounced by Bert Dölle. It took him more than an hour.
When will Jasper S. be released again?
It is possible that Jasper S. is already a free man after 11.5 years. Then he has to behave properly in prison. His release will then be subject to conditions. One of those conditions may be that he needs to undergo treatment. In the Netherlands, prisoners rarely serve their entire sentence. After two-thirds of the sentence, release often follows. In the case of Jasper S., his sentence will be counted from the moment he was detained, after his arrest on November 18, 2012. At the time of the sentencing, he will be in custody for five months. Two-thirds of 18 years is 12 years, so release is expected in November 2024.
Compensation for father Vaatstra
In addition to the prison sentence, Marianne’s father is demanding 250,000 euros in damages through the court. On June 7, 2014, it was reported that Jasper S. does not want to pay this to Bauke Vaatstra. S.’s lawyer, Ernst Muller, calls the amount extremely high.
Vaatstra’s lawyer, John Beer, justifies the demand with the fact that S. has remained silent for years and has therefore seriously frustrated Bauke Vaatstra’s processing process. Beer previously had S.’s farm in Oudwoude seized on behalf of his client. That farm was sold in October 2013.
43494.47 euros
In February 2015 it became clear that Jasper S. had to pay almost 43,500 euros in damages to Bauke Vaatstra, not 250,000. The Northern Netherlands District Court determined the amount, which consists of shock damage of 40,000 euros and compensation for costs incurred for a psychiatrist of 3,494.47 euros. The judge believes that S. is responsible for Bauke Vaatstra’s mental injuries.
read more
- Marianne Vaatstra – Arrest of the murderer
- Marianne Vaatstra – Jasper’s confession after DNA research
- Marianne Vaatstra – Details about the murder investigation
- Marianne Vaatstra – DNA relationship research
- Marianne Vaatstra – Media circus surrounding the trial