The killer who fatally slashed and stabbed a British tourist dozens of times in the face and neck in Amsterdam has been jailed.
The 24-year-old man accused in the 2022 stabbing of Danny Castledine was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 14 years in prison on Friday.
Belgian suspect Nongo B. led an ‘extreme outburst of violence’ when he slashed and stabbed Castledine dozens of times, and left him to meet his death on a darkened stairwell in the centre of the city, the District Court of Amsterdam said, according to the NL Times.
‘The suspect took the life of the [victim], who was spending an evening as a tourist in the city centre of Amsterdam, in a very violent manner by stabbing him frequently with a knife, or at least a sharp object. [The victim] had a total of 30 stab injuries and 13 cutting injuries, mainly in his head and neck,’ the court ruled.
‘After this extreme outburst of violence, the suspect dragged [the victim] to a staircase that led down to a basement and left him there for dead, with his head down and bleeding profusely, without calling for help.’
Danny Castledine, a 22-year-old student at Leeds Beckett University, died after the incident on the Singel on June 1, 2022
Belgian suspect Nongo B. led an ‘extreme outburst of violence’ when he slashed and stabbed Castledine dozens of times, and left him to meet his death on a darkened stairwell in the centre of the city, the District Court of Amsterdam said, according to a report
Singel canal in Amsterdam. Castledine, a student at Leeds Beckett University, met a tragic end less than 24 hours after arriving on a weekend trip with his friend in the popular European destination
The sentence matched the verdict the Public Prosecution Service (OM) recommended.
Castledine, a student at Leeds Beckett University, met a tragic end on June 1, 2022, less than 24 hours after arriving on a weekend trip with his friend in the popular European destination.
He and his friend had parted ways for the evening, the NL Times reports.
The student from Nottinghamshire was found with 30 stab wounds and 14 lacerations, having suffered a violent attack in the early hours of the morning.
Dutch prosecutors had pushed for a harsh sentence for suspect Nongo B., who was allegedly captured in security footage walking with Castledine along the banks of the Singel canal moments before his death.
Footage revealed by investigators reportedly showed an intoxicated Castledine with Nongo around 2.12am.
The pair were then captured by CCTV by the Singel some 30 minutes later, where Nongo is said to have carried out a savage attack with a blade.
He is said to have dragged Castledine’s body to the roadside in an attempt to dispose of evidence before fleeing the scene.
Castledine’s body was discovered by horrified revellers around 3.30am, prosecutors said.
Paramedics were called to the scene but were unable to revive the Englishman.
Around 10 hours later, police officers found Nongo B. about five kilometres away in Amsterdam-Zuid, near the intersection of De Boelelaan and Parnassussweg, the publication reports.
He was taken into custody as he did not have the identification needed.
Police said at the time that he appeared to be disturbed and had consumed a large quantity of drugs, according to the publication.
They also found ‘traces of blood on his clothing and shoes,’ the OM said during the trial. The blood was later matched to Castledine’s.
During the investigation, police found security footage from 2.12 am on June 1 that showed Nongo B. and the victim walking together, and the suspect appeared to be sober, the NL Times reports.
But footage from another location around half an hour later showed different.
‘The images do not show anything special, but it would turn out to be a fatal encounter. On the Singel, the man attacked the victim out of nowhere. After a short chase, the victim was stabbed 30 times and cut 14 times, mainly on his head and neck,’ the OM said.
Danny Castledine, a 22-year-old student at Leeds Beckett University, met a tragic end less than 24 hours after arriving on a weekend trip with his friend in the popular European destination on June 1, 2022
Belgian suspect Nongo B. was allegedly captured in security footage walking with Castledine along the banks of the Singel canal moments before his death
One of the stab wounds severed Castledine’s right carotid artery resulting in serious blood loss.
‘He dragged the body from the roadway to the side of the road and tried to get rid of bloody clothing,’ the OM claimed.
Nongo B.’s attorney had put forward a case for an acquittal arguing that the footage from near the scene of the incident was not clear enough to identify the suspect, according to the publication.
The defense counsel said that only two shadows were visible, one larger than the other and at no point was the image sufficiently clear to make out Nongo B., the attorney argued.
The court agreed that Nongo B. was not clearly seen in the video of the two walking together near the scene of the incident but said that in the footage of the stabbing itself, he was clearly seen in video from the scene minutes later, the NL Times reports.
There were no other passersby caught in the footage until Castledine’s body was discovered.
A bloody shoe print found at the scene also closely matched the soles of the suspect’s shoes.
‘With this act, the suspect was guilty of one of the most serious crimes under the Criminal Code and caused irreparable suffering to the surviving relatives,’ the court said.
It also highlighted statements from the victims parents and his sister.
The court said Nongo B. caused ‘them a great emptiness and unfathomable suffering and sorrow. They have to live in the knowledge that their son and brother, who was in the prime of his life, was killed in a very violent manner’.
It also noted said the two met by chance, were in good spirits, and that the suspect’s move to attack Castledine came on ‘suddenly and without visible reason’.
Experts concluded that Nongo B. was addicted to cannabis, oxycodone, and hallucinogenic Bezodiazepines, the publication reported.
But they said he did not appear to have a mental disorder in addition to his addictions.
The experts said it was unclear whether the substance use influenced Nongo B. behaviour, and it also was also unclear if his addiction motivated the attack in any way.
This was a factor in the court’s decision not to put him in a psychiatric facility, according to the publication.
Nongo B. was also ordered to pay damages of more than 71,000 euros (£61,000), including 20,000 euros (£17,000) each to Castledine’s mother and father, and 17,500 euros (£15,000) to his sister for emotional suffering.
He must also pay the family a further 13,800 euros (£12,000) for the costs of repatriating the victim’s body, and his funeral.
Heartfelt tributes to Castledine poured in weeks and months after his death.
The student, who was in his final year at Leeds Beckett University at the time of his death, was described by his devastated family as a travel enthusiast who had explored 23 countries in his lifetime.
His family recalled Danny’s passion for holidays, music festivals, and fashion.
‘Danny had a long list of places that he wanted to visit in the future. One of those was to the Bahamas to swim with pigs. His ambition was to work on and promote music festivals as a career, and probably live abroad,’ a statement said.
‘When back at home in Mansfield, he would be out with his schooldays friends, and fitting in shifts at McDonalds to fund his extravagant lifestyle.
‘He also had a major passion for fashion, and thought nothing of spending large on designer gear, from t-shirts to trainers.’
A fundraising page set up by Danny’s ex-girlfriend, Ashleigh Hufton, aimed to raise awareness about the devastating impact of knife crime and provide funds for victim support.
The initial goal of £2,400 was surpassed in just four hours, leading Hufton to increase the target to £15,000.
The total raised currently stands at £14,820.
