THE HAGUE: A Dutch court today handed a life sentence to a man who shot dead three people and set fire to a Rotterdam hospital during a rampage that sparked pandemonium and shocked the country.

The medical student named as Fouad L. first stormed into his neighbour's house, shooting dead a 39-year-old woman and severely wounding her 14-year-old daughter, who later died of her injuries.

He set fire to their house and then headed to the hospital, bursting into a classroom and shooting dead a 43-year-old teacher.

Dressed in combat gear and wearing a bulletproof vest, the gunman went to the main wing of the hospital and set the building ablaze, sparking panic as medical staff tried to evacuate patients, some in wheelchairs and on stretchers.

"The suspect put an end to three lives in cold blood. The victims had no way of escaping. The suspect took away their most fundamental right, the right to life," said the Rotterdam court in its verdict.

The shooter was motivated by anger after passing his medical exams but being required to take a psychological test.