Retrial could be held after Mansfield student stabbed 30 times and left for dead

A retrial could take place following the death of a Nottinghamshire student who was stabbed 30 times while on holiday in Amsterdam. Danny Castledine, from Mansfield, was killed by a Belgian drug addict near the Singel canal on June 1, 2022.

The 22-year-old, who was a student at Leeds Beckett University, was found unresponsive on the basement stairs of a nearby property. He had suffered 30 stab wounds, one of which was on the right side of his jaw and clipped his jugular vein.

It was that led to his death, while the other 29 wounds also contributed to the blood loss. A further 14 cutting injuries were also identified during the post-mortem examination, which was carried out in the Netherlands, an inquest heard.

These included cuts to the hands, which were conclusive with Danny defending himself during the attack. Prior to the tragic incident, Danny was on a night out with a friend, but the pair lost each other at around 1am.

The attacker, referred to as Nongo B, then left Danny for dead before a member of the public called emergency services to the scene about an hour after the attack, at 3.30am. The killer was sentenced to 14 years in prison after being convicted of manslaughter, but an inquest hearing held at Nottingham Coroner's Court on Tuesday, December 17, was told an appeal has been lodged.

This means that a retrial might take place in the future. Coroner Nathanael Hartley concluded Tuesday's inquest by saying Danny was unlawfully killed.

The hearing was attended by Danny's parents, Alison and Paul, and sister Chloe. Paying tribute to her brother in court, Chloe said: "He was happy-go-lucky and wanted to enjoy his life. It's a shame that his life ended in the way it did while he was abroad because he loved to travel.

"He had visited 23 countries with us, his family, and with his friends. All he wanted was to go out and have a good time. Everybody loved him and no one ever had a bad word to say about him. It was his innocence and naivety that led to his downfall because he trusted everyone."

Danny had arrived in Amsterdam on May 31 and was planning to stay there for two days before going to a music festival in Belgium. The trial took place in Amsterdam in January 2024 and was done by three judges, with DC Gina Farrell, of Nottinghamshire Police, telling the hearing on Tuesday that jury trials don't exist in the Netherlands.

Experts concluded the killer, who was 22 at the time of the attack, had a "serious disorder in the use of" the drugs Oxycodone, benzodiazepines and cannabis. The court judgement in Amsterdam said he was "heavily under the influence of medicines and narcotics" when he was arrested, but they could not determine that this was the case when he killed Danny.

DC Farrell added that the offender was spotted in the south of the Dutch capital and appeared disorientated and covered in blood. When inspected by paramedics, it was found that, despite the blood, he hadn't sustained any injuries, and so the police was called.

The blood was then tested when he was brought to the police station and the sample matched Danny's.