Assassin sentenced to 18 years

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands -- The killer of Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn was sentenced Tuesday to 18 years in prison -- a punishment that elicited courtroom boos, crying and derision from Fortuyn supporters who said it was not nearly severe enough.\nVolkert van der Graaf, 33, confessed to shooting Fortuyn outside a radio station May 6, just nine days before elections in which Fortuyn was contending for prime minister, to prevent him from gaining power and carrying out his anti-immigration agenda.\nThe crime shattered the country's tradition of peaceful democracy, and Fortuyn's supporters said Van der Graaf should be sentenced to life in prison. The Netherlands abolished the death penalty in 1870.\nWhen the judge read the verdict, outraged Fortuyn supporters booed and stormed out of the public gallery. They later threw garbage at a car taking Van der Graaf back to prison and shouted profanities at the judges.\nFortuyn supporter Patricia Houdkamp, 31, wept in the public gallery after the sentence was read out. She said Fortuyn "stood up" for people like her.\n"And then he's called a 'danger to the country' and killed. What do you have to do to get a life sentence? The Netherlands is way too tolerant," Houdkamp said.\nPresiding Judge Frans Bauduin said the sentence was severe enough and reflected "the brutal manner in which the victim was killed, the damage to the democratic process, and the general deterrence effect the punishment should have."\nProsecutors sought life imprisonment for Van der Graaf, but prosecution spokeswoman Saskia de Klerk said they were "not dissatisfied with the verdict," which is longer than the 12-16 years usually given to defendants convicted of a single murder.\nLife sentences are extremely rare: only 21 have been handed down in the past 50 years, generally for serial murders. The judges said Van der Graaf likely would not kill again and deserved a chance to rejoin society.\nVan der Graaf, looking relieved after the sentence was read, glanced at his lawyers and was led away. With good behavior and the time served ,he likely will be released in 2014.\nFortuyn was shot five times from behind at point-blank range, and died shortly later.\nVan der Graaf fled on foot but was arrested minutes later with the murder weapon in his pocket, gunpowder on his hands and Fortuyn's DNA on his trousers.\nThe killing shocked the Netherlands, where politicians rarely keep bodyguards and many government leaders ride their bicycles to work.\nFortuyn was a brash gay academic who defied stereotypes and drew strong criticism for calling Islam a "backward religion." He blamed rising crime on the Moroccan and Turkish minorities and demanded a moratorium on new immigration.\nAfter his murder, his leaderless party joined a conservative governing coalition, but infighting led to the government's collapse and new elections in January. A new government has yet to be formed.\nFortuyn's brother, Simon, told reporters he was disappointed with the verdict, but added, "I'm not so filled with rancor that I have to see him behind bars for the rest of his life."\nAt his trial, Van der Graaf said he wanted to prevent Fortuyn from hurting weak members of society, comparing his rise to that of Adolf Hitler. In a final statement he said he regretted "the grief I have caused so many."\nBut Prosecutor Koos Plooy questioned Van der Graaf's sincerity, saying he only regretted getting caught. Plooy said Van der Graaf, an animal rights activist, killed Fortuyn because Fortuyn promised to lift a ban on breeding animals for fur if elected.