For stabbing police officers, a 71-year-old man from Bunde must serve four years in prison, two of which are suspended.
That is what the prosecution demanded Tuesday in the Maastricht District Court. Among other things, the prosecution considers attempted manslaughter proven.

Short circuit

The man, who according to his lawyer Sjanneke de Crom has never hurt a fly, suffered "a one-time short circuit in his head" due to a climax of tensions on May 7, 2016. He allegedly threatened his wife, a neighbor and a brother-in-law and received the alerted police in his yard, armed with an axe and a meat cleaver. In the skirmish that ensued, two officers were injured by knife wounds.

Huge regret

The suspect himself has little recollection of it, but expressed enormous regret in court. In his then 69-year-old life, he had never had such an aggressive outburst, nor has it ever occurred since. According to De Crom, the 3.5 months he spent on remand was more than enough: "This man does not belong in prison."

Flinty stab

The officer who sustained the most serious injuries shared his feelings in a post on social media at the time. "A night shift in which you suspected nothing, ending with a hefty knife stab in your leg," the man wrote on the Maastricht police Facebook page. "I experienced the incident as very intense and will soon recover." The officer was subsequently showered with positive messages.

The court will rule April 17.

The defendant(s) in this case are assisted by: