The killer who fatally stabbed a British tourist dozens of times in the face and neck in Amsterdam has been sentenced to prison.
The 24-year-old man accused of the 2022 stabbing death of Danny Castledine was convicted of manslaughter on Friday and sentenced to 14 years in prison.
Belgian suspect Nongo B. unleashed an “extreme outburst of violence” when he attacked Castledine and left him to die in a darkened stairwell in the city center, the Amsterdam court heard. NL Times.
‘The suspect robbed the life of (the victim) who was spending an evening as a tourist in the city center of Amsterdam in a very violent manner by repeatedly stabbing him with a knife, or at least with a sharp object. (The victim) suffered a total of 30 stab wounds and 13 lacerations, mainly to his head and neck,” the court heard.
‘After this extreme outburst of violence, the suspect dragged (the victim) to a staircase leading to a basement and left him for dead, head down and bleeding profusely, without calling for help.’
Danny Castledine, a 22-year-old student at Leeds Beckett University, died after the incident on Singel on June 1, 2022
Belgian suspect Nongo B. led an “extreme outburst of violence” when he dismembered and stabbed Castledine dozens of times, leaving him to meet his death in a darkened stairwell in the city center, the Amsterdam court said. a report
Singelgracht in Amsterdam. Castledine, a student at Leeds Beckett University, met a tragic end less than 24 hours after arriving in the popular European destination with his friend on a weekend trip
The sentence corresponded to the sentence recommended by the Public Prosecution Service (OM).
Castledine, a student at Leeds Beckett University, met a tragic end on June 1, 2022, less than 24 hours after arriving in the popular European destination with his friend on a weekend trip.
He and his friend had broken up that evening, the NL Times reports.
The student from Nottinghamshire was found with 30 stab wounds and 14 cuts after suffering a violent attack in the early hours of the morning.
Dutch prosecutors had pushed for a harsh sentence for suspect Nongo B., who was reportedly captured on security footage walking with Castledine along the banks of the Singel Canal shortly before his death.
Footage revealed by investigators reportedly shows Castledine with Nongo at around 2:12 am.
The pair were then captured on camera about 30 minutes later at the Singel, where Nongo allegedly carried out a ferocious attack with a knife.
Castledine’s body was discovered around 3:30 a.m. by shocked revelers, prosecutors said.
Paramedics were called to the scene but were unable to revive the Englishman.
About ten hours later, police officers found Nongo B. about five kilometers away in Amsterdam-Zuid, near the intersection of De Boelelaan and Parnassussweg, the publication reports.
He was arrested because he did not have the necessary identification documents.
Police at the time said he appeared disturbed and had consumed a large amount of drugs, the release said.
They also found “strains of blood on his clothing and shoes,” the Public Prosecution Service said during the trial. The blood was later compared to that of Castledine.
During the investigation, the police found security images from June 1 at 2:12 a.m. that showed Nongo B. and the victim walking together and that the suspect appeared sober, the NL Times reports.
But images from another location, about half an hour later, showed something different.
‘The images show nothing special, but it would be a fatal encounter. The man attacked the victim out of nowhere on the Singel. After a short chase, the victim was stabbed thirty times and cut fourteen times, mainly in his head and neck,” the Public Prosecution Service said.
Danny Castledine, a 22-year-old student at Leeds Beckett University, met a tragic end less than 24 hours after arriving in the popular European destination with his boyfriend on a weekend trip on June 1, 2022.
Belgian suspect Nongo B. was reportedly captured on security footage shortly before his death while walking with Castledine along the banks of the Singel Canal
One of the stab wounds severed Castledine’s right carotid artery, resulting in severe blood loss.
“He dragged the body from the roadway to the side of the road and tried to get rid of the bloody clothing,” the prosecutor said.
Nongo B.’s lawyer had argued a case for acquittal, arguing that images from near the scene of the incident were not clear enough to identify the suspect, the publication said.
Counsel said that only two shadows were visible, one of which was larger than the other, and that at no time was the image sufficiently clear to distinguish Nongo B.
The court agreed that Nongo B. was not clearly visible in the video of the two walking together near the scene of the incident, but said that in the footage of the stabbing itself, he could be clearly seen several minutes later the video of the scene. Times reported.
No other passers-by were seen in the footage until Castledine’s body was discovered.
A bloody shoe print found at the scene also closely matched the soles of the suspect’s shoes.
“With this offense, the suspect is guilty of one of the most serious crimes under the Criminal Code and has caused irreparable suffering to the surviving relatives,” the court said.
Statements from the victim’s parents and his sister were also highlighted.
The court ruled that Nongo B. ‘has caused them great emptiness and unfathomable suffering and sorrow’.
It added: ‘They must live in the knowledge that their son and brother, who was in the prime of his life, were murdered in a very violent manner.’
The court also said that the two met by chance, were in a good mood and that Nongo B.’s attack on the victim came “suddenly and for no apparent reason.”
Experts concluded that Nongo B. was addicted to cannabis, oxycodone and hallucinogenic Bezodiazepines, the publication reported.
But they said he did not appear to have a mental disorder besides his addictions.
According to the experts, it is unclear whether substance use influenced Nongo B.’s behavior, and also whether his addiction motivated the attack in any way.
According to the publication, this was a factor in the court’s decision not to commit him to a psychiatric facility.
Nongo B. was also ordered to pay damages of more than 71,000 euros (£61,000), of which 20,000 euros (£17,000) each to Castledine’s mother and father, and 17,500 euros (£15,000) to his sister for emotional suffering .
He must also pay the family a further 13,800 euros (£12,000) towards the costs of repatriating the victim’s body and his funeral.
Heartfelt tributes to Castledine poured in in the weeks and months after his death.
The student, who was in his final year at Leeds Beckett University at the time of his death, was described by his devastated family as a travel enthusiast who had explored 23 countries in his lifetime.
His family remembered Danny’s passion for holidays, music festivals and fashion.
‘Danny had a long list of places he wanted to visit in the future. One of them was to the Bahamas to swim with pigs. His ambition was to work on and promote music festivals as a career, and probably live abroad,” a statement said.
‘When he was back home in Mansfield, he was out with his friends from school and working shifts at McDonalds to finance his extravagant lifestyle.
‘He also had a great passion for fashion and thought nothing of spending a lot of money on designer items, from T-shirts to trainers.’
a fundraising page Founded by Danny’s ex-girlfriend, Ashleigh Hufton, it aimed to raise awareness of the devastating impact of knife crime and provide funding for victim support.
The original target of £2,400 was surpassed in just four hours, leading Hufton to increase the target to £15,000.
The total amount raised currently stands at £14,820.