Although Jos B.’s involvement in the case seems certain, that does not automatically mean that he will also be convicted, says L1 reporter Jos van den Broek. “The question is what meaning the judges give to that involvement. That ultimately determines whether and what kind of punishment he will receive”.
Van den Broek closely follows the trial against Jos B. and made one documentary about. According to him, one of the doubts is the statement that B. made in court. In it, B. said that he found Nicky Verstappen when the boy was no longer alive. Van den Broek: “What qualification is given to this by the judges? That is crucial. Is it false, is it implausible, or is B. telling the truth here?”
Cause of death never determined
The DNA traces of Jos B. on Nicky Verstappen’s body and clothing are also important for the judges’ judgment, expects NOS justice and police editor Remco Andringa. “The Public Prosecution Service cannot reconstruct the exact cause of death of the boy. But how do the DNA traces of B. get into his underpants? The Public Prosecution thinks that only Jos B. could have killed Nicky Verstappen. If the court did that and if the sexual abuse is proven, it will probably have a lot of influence on a possible punishment. “
Jos B. has denied sexually abusing and killing Nicky Verstappen throughout the process. The exact cause of death has also never been determined. “Yet many things speak to the disadvantage of Jos B.”, says Van den Broek. “He has a pedosexual past, some statements are contradictory, he did not participate in DNA kinship research and showed flight behavior when his photo was distributed by the police. It is up to the judges whether they link that together.”
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