Willem V. (56) has been sentenced to six years in prison. V. is going to jail for killing his younger brother Wim in Kerkrade, in February this year.

This was decided by the court in Maastricht on Tuesday.

Homicide

The judge found proof that Willem deliberately killed his brother with a sharp knife. During an argument in a caravan in Kerkrade, V. shouted that he wanted to stab his brother. With force he stabbed Wim in his upper body causing the knife to break in half. The court saw this as manslaughter. According to the court, V. also did not act in self-defense.

Escalation

On February 9, things went wrong between the two brothers. In a trailer on the Sportstraat, Willem and Wim got into a fight. The argument escalated and V. stabbed his brother. V. himself called 112 and the emergency services found 49-year-old Wim bleeding profusely. The victim died a short time later in hospital.

Argument in pub

The relationship between the brothers was not good. V. was like death to his younger brother and had to tiptoe for him for 25 years. This also appeared from reports of the psychologist. According to the psychologist, V. never resisted his younger brother. A few weeks before the fatal stabbing, Willem and Wim got into an argument in a Kerkrade pub. From camera footage, which the court viewed, it became clear that V. was beaten up by Wim. Because of the suspect's past, the judge took the sentencing into account.

V. and his lawyer still have the option to appeal.