The trial of a former SS soldier, who confessed to having killed three Dutch civilians has got underway in the German city of Aachan.

The hearing was adjourned shortly after opening over concerns about the health of the defendent, Heinrich Boere. It has been an issue throughout pre-trial proceedings. A court spokesman said: “He will be examined by a doctor on each of the 13 trial days, and on each day it will be evaluated whether or not he is capable of taking part in the trial.” Boere confessed to killing the Dutch civilians when he was captured by US forces in the Netherlands after the war. He escaped to Germany and efforts to bring him to justice have continued ever since. Tuen De Groot, a son of one of those shot said: “I hope that Boere is finally made responsible and that he admits his guilt. I also hope that he will be sentenced to the heaviest penalty there is.” Though he has confessed, it is still unclear whether Boere, who is on the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s list of top ten World War Two criminals, will plead guilty to murder.More about: Holocaust, World War II

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