Coen K. (36) from Uden appeared before the court in Den Bosch over the death of his girlfriend, Jessica Brants (38) from Vlijmen. Brants died on 17 July last year after K. allegedly kicked her in the head and neck during an argument at her home on Parklaan in Vlijmen. Her three-year-old daughter was present. K. has been held in custody since that day, apart from brief interim hearings, and the court scheduled two days for the case.

The defense said K. had consumed alcohol and was addicted to oxazepam and diazepam, and suggested that the combination may have caused a temporary state of severe confusion. It disputed the prosecution’s position that he had previously been violent. A psychologist and a psychiatrist concluded that K. was not fully mentally competent at the time and advised that any conviction could include conditions for TBS treatment. The prosecution is expected to seek a substantial prison sentence.