Netherlands: Nour, 14, Found Tied Up on Her Mother’s Bed
The first public hearing devoted to Nour’s murder revealed the circumstances in which the teenager of Moroccan origin was found. Her mother admitted stabbing her, but investigators still do not know who tied her up or why.
Nour was found on April 20 on her mother’s bed, in the family home located in Blerick, near Venlo. The 14-year-old teenager had her wrists and ankles tied with adhesive tape. Tape had also been placed around her neck and over her mouth.
On Bladi.net : article 120870
These new details were revealed Wednesday by the Dutch Public Prosecution Service before the Roermond court. Nour’s mother, Fouzia R., 59, was not present at this first public hearing.
The suspect admitted immediately after her arrest that she had killed her daughter by stabbing her numerous times. Investigators have nevertheless still been unable to determine who tied Nour up, or whether her mother would have been capable of doing so alone.
Who tied Nour up?
Forensic analyses of the adhesive tape are under way to search for traces likely to identify the people who handled it. The father, arrested immediately after the tragedy and then released, retains his status as a suspect.
One of Nour’s sisters was also in the house at the time of the events. She said she had been awakened by screams and had seen her father apparently trying to pull her mother away from the teenager.
The motive for the murder remains completely unknown. Despite surveillance and the numerous investigations conducted since April, no clear explanation has emerged. The mother reportedly only stated that the father was “the cause of all this,” without being able to explain what she meant by that, reports AD.
According to the Public Prosecution Service, Fouzia R. suffers from serious psychiatric disorders. She is reportedly currently unfit to be questioned and does not understand that Nour is dead or that she would be responsible for it, despite her confession. Her placement at the Pieter Baan Centrum, an institution specializing in the psychiatric observation of suspects, has been ordered.
On Bladi.net : article 120882
The teenager’s death caused deep emotion in the Netherlands. Nearly 1,500 people had attended the funeral prayer held in her memory in Venlo. The trial is not expected to be examined on its merits before 2027.