THE HAGUE –
Almost 2.5 years after the death of 17-year-old Orlando Boldewijn, the lawsuit against Roy B. starts on Monday. 29-year-old B. is prosecuted for not helping Orlando when it was in the icy water in The Hague district in February 2018. Ypenburg. According to the judiciary, B. saw Orlando floundering from his boat but did nothing and crawled back into bed. A week later, the body of the Rotterdam teenager was found.
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Reporter Sander Knura is present in court, follow the lawsuit at the bottom of the article.
Orlando has a date with Roy B on the fateful evening. Around 11 pm, the mother of Orlando receives a message: “It took a little longer, I’ll be right there.” It is the last thing she hears from her son, although she has doubts whether the message is from him. When Orlando does not come home that evening, friends and family ring the bell, they hang flyers in Rotterdam.
If Orlando isn’t home the next day, his friends report to the police. On February 25, the police actively come out with concerns about the missing person. Agents fly in Ypenburg and signs are posted with a photo of Orlando. After an anonymous tip, divers search the water of the Blue Carpet a day later. There they find the body of Orlando, exactly under the spot where the floating fisherman’s house of Roy B. had been. The sorrow is great, there is a silent walk and also Orlando is commemorated at school.
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Arrest
B. is arrested about two months later. The police tracked him down through a dating app. Two days later he is free again. It will then take almost two years before B. comes to trial for the first time. He himself is not at the hearing. According to his lawyer, he is afraid, among other things due to all the media attention and threats. He has since left The Hague.
At the hearing, the prosecutor warns that it may never be completely clear what exactly happened to Orlando. His cause of death can no longer be determined. According to the Public Prosecution Service (OM), B. said that he was in bed on his houseboat when he heard a lot of shouting. After not seeing Orlando that night, B. went back to sleep. ‘The suspect went to look outside, but no longer saw him. He wanted to help, but it was already too late. He slammed completely and did nothing, “said the officer.
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No help provided
Justice therefore sues B. for three things: mistreatment with the result of death – not actively mistreating but precisely by leaving help – and death through guilt or failure to provide help.
The court has reserved two days for the trial against B. On Monday, next of kin can use their right to speak. The Public Prosecution Service will speak on Thursday and will therefore demand staff.
‘Behind closed doors’
B.’s lawyer wanted the trial to take place behind closed doors. But the judge considered the public too important to refuse people. When he decided that B. should be present there was a ‘yes’ to the next of kin. It is important to them that B. is accountable in public.
Reporter Sander Knura is in court to follow up on the case.
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ALSO READ: A year after the disappearance and death of Orlando Boldewijn
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