The father of a murdered four-year-old girl has filed an official complaint after learning that her killer was allowed out of prison on unsupervised leave.

Martin Huisman said he had only been told of the development at the last minute. His lawyer said he had written to deputy justice minister Klaas Dijkhoff demanding to know when and how the unaccompanied leave was granted, NOS reported.

Huisman’s daughter Rowena Rikkers, from Dordrecht, was killed in 2001 and part of her body found in the water at Strand Nulde, a popular leisure beach near Amersfoort. She was not identified until several months later.

In his letter Huisman said he had been informed that the killer, who was in a relationship with the girl’s mother at the time, had a ‘serious personality problem’ and there was a ‘high risk of reoffending’. News of the offender’s leave had caused distress to Huisman’s other daughter, he added.

His lawyer said the purpose of the complaint was to ensure that victims’ relatives were kept better informed in future about similar issues.