Serial rape suspect Gerard T should be jailed for 16 years for a series of rapes around Utrecht over a 20-year period, the public prosecution department said on Tuesday.

The maximum sentence for rape in the Netherlands is 12 years, but in T’s case it can be raised by one-third, because he is on trial for four offences. This means that rather than four consecutive sentences of 12 years, as happens in the US, for example, T can be jailed for 12 years plus four for the repeat offences.

The senate is currently dealing with draft legislation which would raise the ‘one-third’ increase to 50%, broadcaster Nos says.

Evidence

T, from Nieuwegein, is charged with four rapes that took place in 1995, 1996 and 2001. Police believe he is responsible for 22 incidents in total but in many cases there was not enough evidence to take to court.

The 52-year-old was only linked to the rapes in the summer of 2014 after he stole a decoy bike, placed by police to catch bicycle thieves. He gave a DNA sample which matched the profile of the serial rapist in Utrecht.