Gang of Venlo leader Frenkie P. (47) will hear Friday whether his prison door will be left ajar. The judge in The Hague may then decide that Frenkie can begin reintegration.

The 40-year-old Venlo native is serving a life sentence for seven murders.

New opportunity
Life imprisonment was also life imprisonment in the Netherlands for a long time. A prisoner could apply for a pardon, but the success rate of such an application was negligible. A few years ago, the Netherlands decided to introduce a new system. Every life sentence who has served 25 years in prison is tested. If the result is positive, a person has a chance of being released.

Murders denied
However, the Advisory Committee on Life Imprisonment, responsible for the crucial test, gave a negative opinion on Frenkie in October 2019. For example, he still denies that he committed seven murders. That crime-denying behavior, as experts call it, does not suit someone returning to society. He also terminated an examination at the Pieter Baan Center of his own accord.

42 minutes
Frenkie was extremely disappointed with the opinion and, in particular, with how it came about. According to lawyers Sjanneke de Crom and Cliff Raafs, there was no transparency. Experts and relatives were heard without notice. Moreover, Frenkie is said to have stopped his course at the Pieter Baan Center because, he said, he had spoken to his psychiatrist for only 42 minutes in seven weeks. "Then what am I there for?"

Ready for retake
That disappointment eventually culminated in summary proceedings, which were heard in The Hague on August 18. Frenkie hopes the proceedings will allow him to begin his reintegration. If that is not granted on Friday, he hopes that the judge will at least grant a new investigation. Frenkie has already promised to cooperate in a possible retrial.

No excuses
And then, for lawyers De Crom and Raafs, there is the bigger picture at play: improving the current life sentence procedure. "As it's currently structured, it's actually impossible for a client like Frenkie to ever be released again. The Advisory Board places great value on providing insight into the crimes for which he was convicted and his attitude toward the victims and relatives, but he denies six of the seven murders. So what should he do?"

https://www.1limburg.nl/gaat-deur-op-een-kier-voor-bende-van-venlo-leider-frenkie?context=topstory

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