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Appeal commences: Fouad L. believes he was ‘destroyed by lecturers’ 

Fouad L.’s appeal began in court on Thursday. The former medical student shot dead his neighbour, her daughter and his lecturer on 28 September 2023, and started a fire at Erasmus MC. L. spoke at length this morning. 

Just before 10am, Fouad L. entered the courtroom. He was carrying a large bundle of papers, wearing a bright blue polo shirt and had a full beard. He answered questions from the judges and the advocate general (the public prosecutor in appeal cases) throughout the morning. At the end of the morning, he was given ten minutes to share his story about his frustrations with his study programme. For L., this is the main reason for the appeal: “The previous judges didn’t let me explain what happened during my study, how everything went wrong.” 

‘The plan was firmly set’ 

“It’s absolutely terrible to see. I would have preferred to do other things with my life”, said L. after he watched footage of the events of 28 September 2023, which L. carried out in revenge for not receiving his degree. “The plan was very firmly set, and there could be no deviation from it.” L. repeated that he had negotiated with ‘Partition’, the voice in his head that he said urged him to act, about the scale of his actions. The advocate general openly questioned L.’s account: “Isn’t this a stance you are taking for this trial, so that you will be declared completely unfit to be held responsible for your actions?” 

L. accused his lecturers of seizing on a symptom of his autism to cause him to fall six years behind in his studies, he said. He feels he was ‘cruelly treated’ and believes he could simply have become a doctor. “You just have to meet the learning outcomes for your course. Every student has their own things they need to improve.” He feels he was ‘bullied to death’ and ‘destroyed’ by his lecturers, and dismissed the course’s complaints and concerns about him as a ‘little conflict’ or a ‘minor disagreement’.  

L. continued to stress that he feels no regret or remorse for his actions. “I don’t feel responsible. If I had acted of my own free will, I suppose I would feel remorse.” 

Appeal 

Fouad L. is appealing his sentence to prison for life. In early 2025, he was convicted of murdering his neighbour Marlous, her daughter Romy and Erasmus MC lecturer Jurgen Damen, as well as arson, making threats and possessing a weapon. Theo Hiddema, L.’s lawyer, believes L. was not fully responsible for his actions. In his view, a prison sentence and psychiatric treatment under a hospital order are appropriate.  

The Public Prosecution Service had also previously called for a sentence other than life imprisonment: thirty years in prison followed by compulsory psychiatric treatment. The prosecution sees this as the best way to keep L. out of society for as long as possible. The appeal will focus mainly on whether L. was responsible for his actions.

Experts to speak later 

Earlier on Thursday morning, the facts were briefly reviewed and a compilation of security camera footage was shown. Fouad L. admitted to the offences, just as he did during last year’s trial: “I committed those offences, yes.”  

Later today, the psychiatrist who re-examined L. at the Pieter Baan Centre will speak. At least three more days of hearings are scheduled. Victims and bereaved relatives will speak next week. The verdict is expected in mid-December.

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