Court hears of killing spree by ‘The Joker’ from Batman

BRUSSELS: A Ghent court yesterday heard charges against a young Belgian who disguised himself as Batman foe “The Joker” and went on a killing spree at a nursery four years ago that chilled the nation.

Kim De Gelder, now aged 24, is formally charged with killing two infants and their 54-year-old minder in an attack on “Fable Land” day care centre in the town of Dendermonde in 2009.

He is also accused of murdering an elderly woman in a separate attack a week earlier, and of the attempted murder of 22 people, including 16 babies and toddlers, at the creche.

The prosecution told the jury of eight men and four women that after initial disagreements, psychiatric experts had deemed the accused could stand trial as he was “able to distinguish between good and evil” when the killings took place.

The charge sheet shows how the then unemployed 20-year-old, son of a nurse and of an inspector at the state water board, planned the shocking rampage.

At dawn on January 23 he dyed his hair red and painted his face white with black around his eyes like “The Joker” in the Batman movie Dark Knight.

In a macabre reprise of the De Gelder killings, in 2012, US youth James Holmes was accused of killing 12 people and wounding 58 in a cinema screening the sequel of the film.

Once bizarrely disguised, De Gelder filled a bag with knives and an axe.

He then cycled to the nursery in mid-morning where he said to 54year-old minder Marita Blindeman: “I have a question, can you help?”

“Without warning,” says the charge sheet, “the young man began to knife her.” She did not survive. In the nursery he then went for six-month Corneel and nine-monthold Leon.

And then, in a bloody rampage that lasted a quarter of an hour, De Gelder attacked the remaining children and adults before making off on his bike.

Police said he had planned to attack two more nurseries, a police academy and even the king. – SapaAFP