Free Republic

The court of appeal in Amsterdam has upheld the eighteen-year prison sentence imposed on Volkert van der Graaf for the murder of populist politician Pim Fortuyn. In contrast to the assessment at the original trial, the appeal court found that there was a risk that Van der Graaf could kill again. It also condemned the killing more strongly as a threat to the democratic process. However, the court decided not to impose a heavier sentence, due to the fact that Van der Graaf has no previous convictions. The appeal verdict represents a defeat for the Public Prosecutor's Office, which once...

Life in prison: the public prosecutor has demanded the maximum sentence under Dutch law for Volkert van der Graaf, the confessed murderer of politician Pim Fortuyn. In his closing argument on Tuesday, the lawyer for the prosecution described the defendant, a 33-year-old animal rights activist, as "a cold and calculating killer", whose "unique crime warrants an unique sentence." "This murder is unprecedented and should never happen again," public prosecutor Koos Plooy said in his closing statement before the Amsterdam court trying the man who confessed to killing Pim Fortuyn shortly before last May's general elections. Mr Plooy demanded that the...