The trial begins on Wednesday of seven Dutch teens and a father charged with kicking to death an amateur football linesman last year, a killing that sent shockwaves around the Netherlands and the world.
Linesman Richard Nieuwenhuizen, 41, died in December after he was allegedly kicked several times in the head by enraged youth players shortly after the final whistle at an amateur game.
Nieuwenhuizen died shortly afterwards in hospital, leading to much soul-searching in the football-mad Netherlands, while the teenaged boys and one of their fathers were charged with manslaughter.
In a surprise development, a renowned British pathologist will testify that the victim may have died of other causes.
“An independent pathologist is to testify that his investigation found that the linesman may have died of a number of causes including a spontaneous tear in his carotid artery,” defence lawyer Sydney Smeets said.
The left and right carotid arteries deliver blood to the brain through the sides of the neck.