Twenty years after the rape and murder of a 15-year-old school girl, a man from Helmond is finally going on trial for her killing.

Jos de G was arrested in January 2014 after his DNA was found to have ‘similarities’ with the killer’s profile. He has a previous conviction for rape and was a patient at a secure psychiatric hospital when arrested.

Nicole van den Hurk from Eindhoven disappeared in October 1995 as she cycled from her grandmother’s house in Tongelre to work at a supermarket. Her body was found six weeks later in shrubs.

The murder was first investigated by a cold case team in 2004 and her remains were exhumed in September 2011 for further investigation. ‘That led to the definitive breakthrough,’ police said at the time.

De G denies any involvement with the girl’s death, news agency ANP says.