Ben Pawlowski
A DUTCH court has acquitted Sanil B for his role in the death of Carlo Heuvelman, 27, who died in a nightclub brawl in Mallorca in 2021.
Sanil B, 22, had been convicted of manslaughter by the Central Court of the Netherlands in 2022 after a judge determined he landed the fatal blow that killed the Dutch tourist.
However, the man, alongside seven other defendants who had been convicted for their role in the violence, has had his verdict quashed by a court in Arnhem-Leeuwarden after they lodged an appeal.
Waddinxveen-born Heuvelman died after a fight broke out in the early hours of July 14, 2021, in the seaside resort of El Arenal, near Palma.
The brawl began inside the De Zaak nightclub after Sanil B and his friends got into an argument with Heuvelman.
The skirmish spilled out onto the street, with images displayed in court showing a group of young men surrounding the Dutchman at 2am.
One of the men punched Heuvelman so hard that he fell to the ground, before several of the group kicked him in the head.
Heuvelman, who had been holidaying with his girlfriend Lisa, succumbed to his injuries four days later.
The court originally established that the victim’s DNA on Sanil B’s shoe was sufficient evidence to rule ‘with total certainty’ that Sanil B contributed to Heuvelman’s fatal injuries, with the judge handing out a seven-year prison sentence for manslaughter.
However, the judge overseeing the appeals process determined that the trace of DNA combined with witness statements was not sufficient to conclude without doubt that Sanil B contributed to Heuvelman’s death.
The verdict means nobody has been convicted in connection with the 27-year old’s death.
READ MORE:
- Seven years jail for Dutchman over brutal Mallorca bashing of Carlo Heuvelman
- Trial gets underway of Dutchmen involved in fatal brawl on Spain’s Mallorca
