An immigrant who kicked a referee to death in an amateur football match and has been involved in numerous other criminal acts has appealed his deportation – with his lawyer saying he deserves another chance.
The killing that shocked Dutch society happened in 2012 when the victim, 41-year-old Richard Nieuwenhuizen?, was refereeing a match involving teenage players in the city of Almere, in the Netherlands.
One of the teams composing mainly of migrant players disagreed with his judgement, and six of the footballers as well as the father of one of the boys decided to teach the referee a lesson.
So they ambushed him after the final whistle, and kicked him to death.
The adult, Moroccan-born football dad El-Hasan Dardak, was jailed for six years on manslaughter charges for his role in the attack and is due for early release.
Ibrahim C., the captain of the Nieuw Sloten youth football team mostly made up of migrants, was sentenced to 14 months in prison after the court found he kicked Nieuwenhuizen twice while he was already down on the ground.
Now 22-years-old, Ibrahim C., who comes from a Moroccan family received a deportation order and an entry ban into the Netherlands for the next 10 years by the Dutch Immigration Authorities (IND).
According to the IND, Ibrahim C. has committed numerous other crimes besides being involved in the death of Nieuwenhuizen. Even after he recently received his deportation order the Moroccan migrant reportedly continued his crime spree and had to appear in court again.
However Ibrahim C s lawyer, Marjon Peeters, said the crimes “are just a little theft and the possession of drugs” as she appealed the deportation order. She said that her client deserved another chance, adding: “Ibrahim had a very difficult youth and never received the right help.
“He always honours his commitments. He really has had a very hard time.”
According to local media, a court will rule within the next six weeks in the appeal case.
The death of Nieuwenhuizen caused widespread outrage in Dutch society, especially as the perpetrators did not seem the slightest bit remorseful.