On Thursday morning, 18-year-old D.H. appeared before the judge to hear his verdict. He was accused of attempting to kill the man P. on May 25, 2025, by driving a car at high speed toward P., who was standing behind his scooter. D.H. was also charged with possession of a firearm.
In court, D.H.’s parents and the victim P. were present. Observers noted that P. is considerably taller than D.H.
Attempted murder with a car
The judge found it legally proven that on May 25, 2025, D.H. tried to kill P. The court reviewed security camera footage showing D.H. accelerating the car toward the scooter and P. The car struck the scooter, and P. jumped aside.
Afterward, P. picked up a machete and moved toward the car. D.H. and a passenger got out; the passenger appeared to be holding something. At that moment, P. ran away, and a woman in a red dress who had come outside also fled in fear.
The judge noted that D.H. admitted he was angry with P. and sought revenge by ramming P.’s scooter with the car. The key legal question was whether D.H. actually saw P. The judge concluded he did: in his police statement D.H. said he saw P. walking away from the scooter, and the security video—showing P. between the scooter and a wall when the car was driven at them—confirmed this.
Verdict
The judge emphasized that being hit by a car can be fatal and that by driving at high speed into the scooter, D.H. took the risk of killing P. The court therefore found attempted murder proven.
However, the judge did not find it proven that D.H. was holding a firearm during the incident, despite statements from P. and the woman. Police did find bullet casings in the car and photos of a firearm on D.H.’s phone, but the court ruled that was insufficient to prove he had a gun in his hand at the time.
Taking into account that D.H. was a minor when the incident occurred, the court applied juvenile sentencing and said D.H. needs psychological support to prevent reoffending.
The court also noted D.H. had a prior conviction for firearm possession with a combined sentence, committed this new offense while on probation, and again had a weapon involved in the context.
The judge added the previously suspended 10 months from that earlier sentence to the new sentence and condemned D.H. to 15 months in prison, of which 10 months are suspended, with a 3-year probation period under supervision by the probation service (Reclassering). In total, the custodial sentence imposed is 15 months, with the suspended portion subject to conditions during the probation.
The judge approved P.’s damages claim for the scooter and ordered D.H. to pay 3,000 florin in installments. The car confiscated by police is to be returned to D.H.’s mother, and the seized shell casings will be destroyed
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