HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK ---------------------------
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A59600-2002Oct8.html Dutch Court Delays Nurse Verdict By Toby Sterling Associated Press Writer Tuesday, October 8, 2002; 11:50 AM -THE HAGUE, Netherlands �� A Dutch district court delayed its verdict Tuesday in the case of a nurse accused of killing 13 of her patients, ordering her to undergo psychiatric observation. -Lucy de Berk, 41, is accused of 18 counts of murder and attempted murder in hospitals in The Hague over a 4 1/2-year period ending in September 2001. -Most of the alleged victims � who included a 91-year old judge at the U.N. war crimes tribunal � were either very old or very young and chronically ill. All died suddenly in her care. -"I took pleasure in my work," she said while on the witness stand. "No one told me once that I didn't do my work well. Never." THE HAGUE, Netherlands �� A Dutch district court delayed its verdict Tuesday in the case of a nurse accused of killing 13 of her patients, ordering her to undergo psychiatric observation. The judges also said they want more information from some of the witnesses in the trial, the most serious case of alleged serial killing in Dutch criminal history. Lucy de Berk, 41, is accused of 18 counts of murder and attempted murder in hospitals in The Hague over a 4 1/2-year period ending in September 2001. "The court is reopening the investigation," said presiding judge Jeanne Kalk. "The information we had is incomplete," she said, adding the case would be reviewed within three months. After the hearing, defense lawyer Ton Visser indicated that he would advise de Berk to cooperate with psychologists, saying it would give her a chance to reverse the negative image of her created by prosecutors. Most of the alleged victims � who included a 91-year old judge at the U.N. war crimes tribunal � were either very old or very young and chronically ill. All died suddenly in her care. De Berk said she was innocent of all charges and had "never taken someone's life." Until now, she has refused to cooperate with prosecution requests for psychiatric tests. The case has drawn attention because serial killings are virtually unknown in the Netherlands. Last May, in a blow to the country's peaceful image, the nation witnessed its first modern political murder when a populist anti-immigration candidate was shot dead nine days before parliamentary elections. The three-judge panel said forensic information was inadequate, and wanted a further examination on possible sources of chemicals found in the bloodstream of some of the victims. The judges also wanted to question some witnesses who gave testimony in depositions and did not appear in court. De Berk, who has been in prison since here arrest last year, was ordered to be transferred to the Pieter Baan Medical Institute in the city of Utrecht. "It is necessary to have an investigation into the mental capacity of the suspect," said the ruling. During the hearing, Visser argued to the court that there was no evidence linking de Berk directly to a single crime. He said the prosecution's case was built on "circumstantial evidence and coincidence" and wasn't enough to convict a person of murder. During her five-day trial in September, prosecutors said the deaths that occurred on her watch followed a pattern showing the same hand at work in each case. They said demanded she be locked up for the rest of her life, either in prison or in an insane asylum. "The public interest has to come first, and therefore we ask for life imprisonment," prosecutor John Remmerswaal said in his summation. Dutch courts can give life sentences, but rarely do. There is no death penalty in the Netherlands. During the trial, she admitted lying about her nursing credentials and stealing books, medicine and patient files from the hospitals where she worked. "I took pleasure in my work," she said while on the witness stand. "No one told me once that I didn't do my work well. Never." __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Faith Hill - Exclusive Performances, Videos & More http://faith.yahoo.com --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.bacIlu Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
