The man accused of the rape and murder of a 15-year-old schoolgirl 21 years ago has been found not guilty of killing her by a court in Den Bosch.

Jos de G was arrested in January 2014 after his DNA was found to have ‘similarities’ with Nicole van den Hurk’s killer’s profile. However, while finding him guilty of rape, the court said the murder charges were not proven, and sentenced De G to five years in jail.

De G was not in court to hear the verdict and several members of the girls family burst into tears when the verdict was announced, the Telegraaf reported. De G has a previous conviction for rape and was a patient at a secure psychiatric hospital when arrested.

The judges said that while Nicole had been murdered, it was not possible to conclude that De G had killed her. DNA traces found on her body were from De G, Nicole’s boyfriend and an unknown man, suggesting another killer was an option, the court documents said.

Nicole 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.