Karst Tates, the man who smashed his car into a monument in Apeldoorn on Queen's Day, not far from an open-top bus carrying the Dutch royal family, was genuinely targeting the royals.

Policewoman Sharon Koenders was one of the first officers at the scene of the crash on 30 April. In an interview for the police magazine Blauw she says: "I'll never forget what I saw. The front row of people stood behind the barriers. Some of them were still waving. Behind them I could see all kinds of things flying through the air. When I looked again I realised they were people."

As the smallest officer present, Ms Koenders climbed into the back seat of the car and held the driver's head. "He was in a bad state but he was still conscious. You could hear him coughing up blood as he spoke. We asked him if he meant to hit the royal family and he confirmed this. My partner and I looked at each other to make sure we'd both heard him. It was a real attack alright."

Eight people died in the incident, including Karst Tates himself.