Amsterdam man convicted of rape and robbery of two women, sentenced to 10 years

A 34-year-old man, Soufiane El A., has been jailed for 10 years after being found guilty of raping and robbing two women and holding them captive in Amsterdam earlier this year. The Amsterdam District Court handed down the same sentence recommended by prosecutors.

The two women, both sex workers, had arranged to meet the perpetrators in the home in Bullewijk, Amsterdam-Zuidoost, through the online platform Kinky.nl for paid sexual services on January 22. After El A. said he did not have enough money, another man was due to bring the remaining amount. Once inside the property, the two suspects allegedly pulled knives, forced the women onto a sofa, and demanded their possessions.

They took cash and mobile phones before raping the victims. The men then locked the front door from the outside, leaving the women unable to escape for several hours. The victims were punched in the face, threatened with pepper spray and knives, and intimidated with references to the "Mocro Maffia." One of the women suffered cuts to her neck and fingers.

A neighbor eventually called emergency services. Police arrived at the scene and had to force open the front door to free the victims. Officers later found a knife that the suspects had stabbed into a sofa.

Het Parool reported that the judges concluded the robbery was planned in advance based on WhatsApp messages exchanged between the two perpetrators earlier that evening. In one message sent just before entering, one suspect wrote to the other to grab the phone and strike.

Police traced the perpetrators by tapping and tracking the victims' stolen mobile phones, which were turned on and used in Utrecht on January 25 and 26.

Court records noted that El A., born in 1992, had no fixed address at the time of the offense. His accomplice was underage and was dealt with by a juvenile court.

In its written verdict, the Amsterdam District Court stated that the men severely violated the victims' physical integrity and "abused them as commodities". Both women have since been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The court ordered El A. to pay €16,252 to the first victim and €15,514.92 to the second victim, bringing the exact total to €31,766.92.