A court in Lelystad has sentenced a 19-year-old woman to compulsory psychiatric treatment for killing cats and hedgehogs in Hilversum. She was also given a 391-day prison sentence, which she has already spent in custody ahead of here trial.

The woman, who was sentenced behind closed doors because she was underage at the time of some of the killings, recorded her actions in a diary partly written in blood.

Between July 1, 2024, and January 25, 2025, the woman went after the animals and stabbed, beheaded and skinned them. One entry in her diary read “I walked in a wood and saw cows. Later I got a knife out of my bag and walked around with it in my hand. Later I stabbed a cat to death”.

Video footage of her actions showed how she chased and stabbed a cat. “I got a kick out of seeing how scared it was,” she told the court. The woman was also found to have several banned weapons at her house, including a bracelet with a hidden knife, knuckledusters wit hand without knives, and a taser.

The court emphasised the heinous nature of the crimes and the great likelihood that she would offend again.

“The diaries contain many entries, written partly in blood, which are not only horrendous in nature but also very worrying. The suspect says she wants to be a serial killer and describes in detail what she wants to do to people,” the court said in its ruling.

The woman suffers from multiple mental health problems, which is why she cannot be held totally responsible for her deeds. She will not be admitted to a psychiatric clinic but must undergo treatment. She is also banned from using drugs and alcohol and cannot leave the country.

The case is similar to that of a 21-year-old woman from Hilversum who was  sentenced to psychiatric treatment and time in prison for offences against animals last summer.