# Appeal starts for Rotterdam triple killer sentenced to life

> Fouad L., 35, sentenced to life for killing three people in Rotterdam in 2023, went back to court on Thursday to contest the verdict.

Society · published 2026-11-12 14:22 · https://nlnow.nl/a/appeal-starts-for-erasmus-mc-shooter-fouad-l-in-rotterdam/

The appeal against Fouad L., who was sentenced to life imprisonment for shooting dead three people in Rotterdam on 28 September 2023, began on Thursday. The case is before the Hof Den Haag appeal court, but the hearing is being held in Rotterdam because the courtroom there has more room for the bereaved.

He shot dead Romy (14), Marlous (39) and teacher Jurgen Damen (43) and also set fires, including at his own home. The Rotterdam district court gave him life, while the Public Prosecution Service (OM) had demanded 30 years in prison and tbs, compulsory psychiatric treatment. Lawyer Theo Hiddema is now assisting him.

L. told the court he acted on a "plan" that he negotiated with a "partition" in his head, and pointed to his dissociative disorder. "I tried to dismantle the whole plan, but that was not accepted," he said. "The plan was very rigid. There could be no deviation from it. I would rather have done other things with my life."

He said the main reason for the appeal is that the earlier judges did not let him explain what happened during his medical training. "If they had let me tell my story, I would probably not have appealed," he said, adding that he could explain it in 10 minutes.

Research by the Pieter Baan Centrum found that L. has, among other things, a severe autism spectrum disorder. He has been examined again for the appeal.

## Background

- **Hof Den Haag**: The Hague Court of Appeal (Gerechtshof Den Haag) is one of the four appeal courts in the Netherlands. It reviews rulings of the district courts in its region, both criminal and civil cases, and can confirm, change or overturn them. Its hearings can be held at other locations when a courtroom elsewhere offers more space.
- **OM (Openbaar Ministerie)**: The Public Prosecution Service (Openbaar Ministerie) is the Dutch authority that investigates criminal offences together with the police and brings cases before the courts. In court, its prosecutors state the sentence they demand, and they also decide whether a case is prosecuted and how.
- **tbs (terbeschikkingstelling)**: Tbs is a measure in Dutch criminal law that orders compulsory psychiatric treatment for offenders whose mental disorder is linked to a serious crime and who are considered a danger to others. A court can impose it alongside a prison sentence or on its own, and the treatment takes place in a forensic psychiatric hospital. Its duration is set by the court and can be extended if the risk remains.
- **Pieter Baan Centrum**: The Pieter Baan Centrum is the Dutch forensic psychiatric observation centre in Utrecht, where suspects are examined for their mental state when a court orders it. Its reports help judges decide whether a suspect was criminally responsible for an offence and whether a measure such as tbs is needed.

From NLnow, news from the Netherlands in English. How stories are made: https://nlnow.nl/about/