British student Danny Castledine stabbed to death in Amsterdam, inquest hears
A British student was stabbed to death during a trip to Amsterdam before he was dragged and left at the bottom of steps, an inquest has heard.
Danny Castledine, 22, sustained 44 wounds near the Singel canal in the Dutch capital in June 2022, when he was with a friend on the way to a music festival in Belgium.
At Nottingham Coroner’s Court on Tuesday, assistant coroner Nathanael Hartley concluded he was unlawfully killed, with the cause of death recorded as “multiple stab wounds”.
Mr Castledine’s sister Chloe, who was at the inquest with their parents, described her brother as “happy-go-lucky” and said he just wanted to “enjoy his life”.
“It’s a shame his life ended in the way it did in a foreign country because he loved to travel,” she told the inquest.
“All he wanted to do was go out and have a good time. Everyone loved him, no one had a bad word to say about him.
“He trusted everyone and assumed everyone was out for a good time like he was.”
Pic: Family Handout/PA
The court heard in January a Belgian national, referred to as Nongo B, was found guilty of manslaughter in a Dutch court and jailed for 14 years.
Detective Constable Gina Farrell of Nottinghamshire Police told the hearing she was told Mr Castledine became “separated” from his friend “after 1am”.
“Danny walked around the city centre thereafter and he appeared to have met the person we call the defendant between 1.40am and 2.12am,” she added.
“Danny walked with the defendant into where there appears to be a clash between Danny and the defendant.
“It is believed this is where he carried out the attack before he dragged him down the stairs to the basement flat.
“One of the hypotheses that came up is that the defendant attempted to rob Danny, but there was no evidence to substantiate that.”
Pic: Family Handout/PA
Mr Hartley said Mr Castledine suffered “severe blood loss” with a stab wound to his neck, adding other stab wounds “may have contributed to death through blood loss”.
Ms Farrell said a man was found with blood on his clothing matching Mr Castledine’s and told the hearing a retrial of the defendant may happen.
Mr Castledine’s mum previously said: “When Danny was alive, it frustrated me that he was so laid back but now I just think, I’m so glad he lived that life because he loved every minute of it.
“It was almost like he knew he had to pack everything into 22 years.”
A well-known former boss of Australia’s national rugby team has denied dozens of sex charges against 10 males.
Alan Jones – who was also a radio presenter for many years – appeared in court for the first time since his arrest last month.
The 83-year-old is accused of 34 charges of aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault, sexual touching without consent and common assault.
Some of the complainants are as young as 17 and police said the alleged offences happened between 2001 and 2019.
Jones wasn’t asked to enter a plea during Wednesday’s hearing in Sydney but afterwards told media he would fight the claims at trial.
“I am certainly not guilty and I’ll be presenting my account to a jury,” Jones said.
“These allegations are all either baseless or they distort the truth. I have never indecently assaulted these people. I am emphatic that I’ll be defending every charge,” he added.
Police charged Jones with 24 offences related to eight males on 18 November, prompting two more complainants to come forward.
His lawyer, Bryan Wrench, told the judge his client welcomed a jury trial so he could clear his name.
“There have been many… untruths published by the media and the police in this matter,” Mr Wrench said.
Jones was charged on 18 November. Pic: Reuters
Jones coached the Wallabies – Australia‘s rugby union side – for four years from 1984, winning 86 of his 102 matches.
He went on to host a popular morning radio show in Sydney from 2002 until 2020 and was highly influential in the media.
Jones was also known for his conservative politics and once worked as a speechwriter for Michael Fraser, who was prime minister for eight years until 1983.
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He’s been free on bail since his arrest last month.
An administrative hearing in the case is now scheduled for 11 March.
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