Judges in Amsterdam have released a man sentenced to four years in jail for his role in a violent prostitution gang, because his mother is seriously ill, not because he is about to become a father, Amsterdam court officials said on Thursday.

Earlier, the Telegraaf reported Murat Ordu had been freed pending his appeal hearing on July 16 because he is about to become a father.
The decision to release him has disappointed the public prosecution department and shocked victims, some of whom have now gone into hiding, ANP says.
‘We are strongly opposed to this,’ a department spokeswoman said. ‘The interests of society are more important than the personal interests of the suspect.’
Flight risk
‘There are no concrete indications that Ordu is a fight risk,’ advocate general Charles Wiegnant told the Telegraaf. In addition, he has been banned from contacting his victims, ANP said.
Ordu was part of a gang said to have forced over 20 women into prostitution in Amsterdam, The Hague, Alkmaar and Utrecht. Other members of the gang were jailed for six and five years.
Last year there was an outcry when another violent pimp Saban Baran left the country after was given a week’s leave to bond with his new baby despite being a known flight risk. He was serving a 7.5-year sentence.