The two men suspected of involvement in the banner with the text ‘Depla dead’ in Breda will not be prosecuted. The Public Prosecution Service (OM) dismissed the case due to lack of evidence. This means that the much-discussed issue surrounding the threat to Mayor Paul Depla seems to be out of the question for the time being, unless new information emerges.
The banner appeared in March at café 076 on Meidoornstraat, prior to the NAC Breda–Feyenoord match. The canvas read ‘Depla dead’, together with an image of the mayor’s head. Depla then reported the threat.
After an investigation, a spokesperson for the Public Prosecution Service said: “The public prosecutor has determined that there are insufficient indications that the two people were involved in making and hanging the banner. The case against them has therefore been dismissed. We have also informed them of this.”
Thought about it
Shortly after the incident, Depla announced that he believed the threat did not come out of nowhere. According to him, it had clearly been thought about. “It didn’t happen on a whim,” he said at the time. “Someone thought: I’m going to make a large banner of up to ten meters and put this text on it.”
In addition to the mayor’s report, a counter-report was also filed against the municipality of Breda for alleged defamation of the café owner. That report has been assessed by the Public Prosecution Service, but will not be processed further. According to the justice department, there are no indications of a criminal offense.
Not definitive
The case is therefore closed for the time being, but not definitively. If new information emerges, the investigation can be reopened and suspects can still be arrested, the Public Prosecution Service said.
