Dutch man says he was ‘distraught’ at trial over father’s death

Thijmen V., 33, is on trial in Alkmaar over the death of his father, Albert Visser, on 10 January 2021, and the concealment of his body. Prosecutors suspect him of manslaughter, Dutch news agency ANP reported.

“I was completely distraught. I can’t justify it. I made terrible mistakes,” he told the court, in remarks translated from Dutch.

V. said his father had thrown a kitchen knife at him and approached him with another knife before the two fought. He said he struck his father seven times on the head with a Buddha figurine and that, after they fell to the ground and kicked each other, he heard his father’s neck break. His lawyer previously said V. had acted in self-defence, according to regional broadcaster NH Nieuws.

Prosecutors allege that V. cut his father’s body into 238 pieces and distributed them among 19 rubbish bags. ANP reported that the remains were kept for more than three and a half years in two freezers and a storage box.

V. told the court he had spent several days, perhaps a week, concealing the body. He said he had repressed what happened but that memories returned through nightmares after his arrest.

A friend reported Visser missing in October 2021, NH Nieuws reported. Police found his remains at V.’s home in November 2024 and identified them through fingerprint examination.