English student Danny Castledine (22) stabbed over thirty times on the Singel

On June 1, 2022, 22-year-old British student Danny Castledine became the victim of a brutal assault during a city trip to Amsterdam after becoming separated from his friend in the early morning hours. While Danny was searching for his hotel near the Singel canal, he met Nongo B., a 22-year-old Belgian national, with whom he initially had a seemingly friendly conversation according to CCTV footage. However, for no apparent reason, the situation escalated into an extremely violent attack in which the perpetrator stabbed Danny 44 times in the neck, chest, and back in the basement entryway of a property on the Singel. Passersby discovered the student's body later that morning on the bottom steps of the basement stairs, after which police launched a large-scale investigation and were able to arrest the suspect shortly thereafter based on camera footage. Although there were indications of a failed robbery as a motive during the trial, this could not be inconclusively proven, leading the Amsterdam District Court to sentence Nongo B. to fourteen years in prison for manslaughter in February 2024. In the United Kingdom, a coroner formally confirmed in December 2024 that the death was an unlawful killing, while Danny's family has since been raising awareness about the devastating impact of knife crime through various initiatives and fundraising efforts.