On February 27, 2013, the suspect in the murder of Marianne Vaatstra, Jasper S. from Oudwoude, will appear in court for the first time. The square in front of the courthouse and in the courtroom is packed with journalists and the photographing and filming press. There is talk of a media circus.
First
The hearing of February 27, 2013 is the first since the arrest of the livestock farmer from Oudwoude. He is suspected of having committed the murder of Marianne Vaatstra from Zwaagwesteinde. In 1999, the year of the murder, a sixteen-year-old girl from the neighboring village of Oudwoude was raped and murdered in a meadow near Veenklooster.
S. confessed almost immediately after his arrest in November 2012.
Illustrators
The courtroom has room for five court artists who draw a portrait of the suspect on behalf of various newspapers. Photos, sound and film recordings may only be taken with special permission. It must protect the privacy of visitors and employees.
Press
The room is too small to accommodate all the press and there is interest in the hearing from other sides besides the media.
A separate room has been set up for the press, where they can contact the courtroom where Jasper S. is located via a video connection . About forty journalists will report for 25 newspapers, television and radio stations. There are nine cameras to record the pro forma hearing.
Case
The judge will not deal with the substance of the case during this first hearing. In the pro forma hearing, the public prosecutor indicates the status of the investigation. During this hearing, the lawyer can express further wishes regarding the investigation. The judge can stay the case for a maximum of three months.
Lawyer
The suspect’s lawyer is Jan Vlug. He hopes for urgency and would prefer to start the substantive treatment as soon as possible. If further investigations are needed, this will not work. An investigation at the Pieter Baan Center can easily take several months. This would mean that substantive consideration could only take place in the autumn of 2013. During the pro-forma hearing it is declared that Jasper S. is fully accountable. This means that further research in the Pieter Baan Center is not necessary. It has been determined that the first hearing with substantive consideration will take place on March 28, 2013.
Present
Present at the pro forma hearing in the public gallery in the council chamber are:
- Father Bauke Vaatstra;
- Mother Maaike Terpstra;
- Marianne’s brothers and sisters;
- Peter R. de Vries.
Family of Jasper S. is also present. They are in another room.
Queue
Father Bauke Vaatstra sits with his family in the second row. They want to see Jasper S. in person to see his body language. The lawsuit reopens all wounds, but the family wants to be there to finally find out what happened to their daughter and sister after thirteen years.
An image from DWDD / Source: Screenshot DWDD
Oudwoude
Oudwoude, the village where S. lived, is also in the spotlight again. For Dorpsbelang chairman Sjoerd Hoekstra, the phone is ringing off the hook on the days before the hearing and on the day itself. That is just like the days after the arrest of his fellow villager. The village interest chairman is not in the courtroom. He thinks he has no business there. Hoekstra: “What should I see there?”
DWDD
That evening, Marianne’s eldest brother, Freddy Vaatstra, sits at the table with Matthijs van Nieuwkerk together with Peter R. de Vries in the television program De Wereld Draait Door (DWDD). A drawing that one of the artists made that day in Jasper S.’s courtroom was seen on the screens in front of and behind the table. He is a small, scrawny man and that surprised Freddy Vaatstra the most.
read more
- Marianne Vaatstra – Details about the murder investigation
- Marianne Vaatstra – Jasper S. and the lawsuit
- Marianne Vaatstra – Report of lawsuit via Twitter
- Marianne Vaatstra – Disaster tourism during court case
- Marianne Vaatstra – Her brothers and sisters