Court once again rules that the doctor who euthanised Tine Nys “made no errors”

On 31 January 2020 a jury at the Court of Assizes acquitted Dr Joris Van Hove and two of his colleagues. They had been charged with murder by poisoning. Almost ten years previously in 2010 Tine Nys had asked to be euthanised on the grounds of “invisible psychological suffering”. Her family believed that the correct procedures had not been followed and the lodged a complaint against Dr Van Hove and the two colleagues that were also involved in euthanising Ms Nys.

The Court of Cassation ruled that insufficient explanation had been given regarding the jury at the Court of Assizes’ verdict to acquit Dr Van Hove. This meant that the trial had to be repeated in front of a civil court. Although whatever the result, Dr Van Hove would remain innocent of murder by poisoning, the civil court trial could still determine that he had made an error and if this was the case order him to pay Ms Nys’ family compensation. The court has now ruled that this is not the case.

The court states that Tine Nys's psychological suffering had been present since her puberty. "She also had relatively good periods during her life.  But these relatively good periods were always followed by bad episodes that were accompanied by suicide threats and multiple suicide attempts. The pattern of these episodes could not be broken", the verdict reads. Ms Nys’ family can still appeal if they wish.