9 years in prison for Antoon R. and tears for Mathieu: this happened today

Spring temperatures, 9 years in prison for Antoon R. and tears for Mathieu: these are the five stories you must read on Friday.

After a cold weekend, the temperature in Brabant will shoot towards 20 degrees again next week. Friday started clear and sunny, but clouds will increase in the afternoon with some light rain. The weekend will be changeable with showers and around 12 degrees, but after the weekend the wind will turn south. Then we will get warmer air again with temperatures of 15 degrees and higher, possibly even 18 or 19 degrees during the week. The southerly wind has blown the cold air all the way to the north of Europe and it will not return for a while. You can read the full weather forecast here:

Why do complete strangers offer massive amounts of help to people in need? After the article about Naomi’s stolen stroller from Dongen and the free holiday for Samantha from Tilburg, hundreds of people responded. According to Professor of Philanthropy Ren Bekkers, the answer is simple: empathy and recognition. People can empathize with the situation and think: how nice it would be if someone helped me too. Social media play an important role in this, although Bekkers warns that giving things is not always more efficient than money due to logistics costs. Read the analysis here.

70-year-old Mathieu from Stokhasselt in Tilburg Noord, one of the poorest neighborhoods in Brabant, told his story about debt and poverty last weekend. He never turns on the heating due to lack of money. His story received massive responses from Brabanders who wanted to give him free clothing, food, blankets and even a TV. A neighbor with chronic depression who lived without heating for years made a box full of goodies and gave him a warm winter coat. The moment brought tears to both men’s eyes. Read the whole story here.

Antoon R. (32) from Oss was sentenced to nine years in prison for shooting Peter Netten (30) at a caravan camp in 2018. The court in Den Bosch convicted the son of godfather Martien R., while the court previously acquitted him due to lack of evidence. The court used recordings from Operation Alpha as crucial evidence, including conversations in which Martien R. gave instructions to his son and in which Antoon could be heard washing his hands with caustic agent. The argument that led to the shooting arose after a family party and, according to the court, was ‘no more than that of two toddlers at a children’s party’, but was settled as serious crime. Check it out here.

K3 singer Julia Boschman (23) from Bergen op Zoom will not be prosecuted for driving after an accident. A 14-year-old girl was slightly injured during the incident in Antwerp in December. The singer drove on because she was expected at a work appointment, but left her telephone number. After a statement at the police station, the Antwerp Public Prosecutor’s Office decided not to prosecute based on the complete file. Read her story here.