Three minor boys who would have attacked an 82-year-old woman in her house in Valkenswaard last year, were told on Monday. The court in Den Bosch spoke one of the three freely, but imposed the other two work sentences and partly conditional imprisonment.
The robbery took place on Sunday, March 17, 2024 at the Germany in Valkenswaard. The victim, the older woman, heard hard banging on the front door around a quarter to six. When she opened the door, she was immediately pushed in hard. She fell to the floor and was grabbed several times and caught by her throat. “Where are the drugs?” The robbers cried. The boys searched the whole house, but in the end did not take anything with them.
The tricky thing is that during the court case it was not clear who of the three boys was the one who was the first to enter and used violence against the old woman. The three boys from Eindhoven and Nuenen were 15 and 17 years old during the robbery.
Community service
The youngest of the three was acquitted, because it is not to prove that he actually entered. The 15-year-old from Eindhoven stated that he only stood on the lookout. He did receive a punishment for another crime. In May 2024 he abused someone in a park in Eindhoven. Witnesses saw how he hit and kicked a victim without reason, even when he was already on the ground. Before that violence he received a 40 -hour work sentence.
The two 17-year-olds, one from Eindhoven and one from Nuenen, were found guilty of the home robbery. According to the court, they entered the house because they expected drugs there.
Other crimes
One boy was given youth detention. He had been in custody for a while, so that time is removed from his prison sentence. The rest of the punishment is conditional, which means that he does not go back into jail as long as he adheres to the conditions. However, he must perform 180 hours of community service and finish an outstanding punishment of 50 hours. In February he was already convicted of a crime and through this robbery he violated his probationary period.
The other 17-year-old boy also received a largely conditional prison sentence. He must also perform 200 hours of community service. He was also convicted for a car bracket at the beginning of this year, taking perfume and coins, among other things.
Great impact
The court emphasized that home robberies, certainly with violence, “make a serious infringement of privacy and the feeling of safety in your own home.” For older victims, that is extra heavy, because they feel more physically more vulnerable and are less able to defend themselves.
The woman who fell victim previously indicated that she is still afraid since the robbery, but also said she was happy that the suspects were arrested.
