Dave De Kock, 39, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for the 2022 death of four-year-old Dean, with no possibility of parole for 25 years and a further 15 years under court supervision after release.
The Ghent Assize Court handed down the heaviest sentence available in the case.
Dutch national Romy W., 29, was acquitted of kidnapping resulting in death. She was found guilty of possessing and distributing images of the sexual abuse of minors. The court suspended her sentence subject to probation conditions.
This means she will not serve a sentence unless she commits new offences within the next five years or fails to comply with the conditions imposed.
Dean's body was found in January 2022 in the Dutch province of Zeeland. He had gone missing after staying over at De Kock's house.
De Kock, a friend of Dean's mother, claims that while driving around, he had an outburst of anger and killed Dean in the process. He says that he does not remember exactly how the toddler died.
He drove to the island of Neeltje Jans in Zeeland and hid the body. Police issued an AMBER Alert, and De Kock was arrested by Dutch police. He led investigators to Dean's body.
De Kock had been previously convicted for the death of his two-year-old stepson in 2010. He served a prison sentence of ten years, but was not placed under court supervision following his release.
