A 39-year-old man from Emmen has been guilty of arson in his home, threatening him with an air rifle and prohibited possession of weapons. The judge sentenced him to sixteen months in prison, of which six months were conditional. The Public Prosecution Service (OM) had the same demand, but eight months conditionally.
The man was in some degree of psychosis in the early morning of November 28, 2025, when he fell asleep under a blanket on the couch with a joint in his hand. This caused a fire.
The Emmen resident had hardly slept the days before and hoped to fall asleep with a joint. That worked, but with the smoldering joint between the fingers. That is very careless, the judge believes. He can therefore be charged with arson. The damage to his home at Tammingecamp was considerable.
In addition, the judge finds it serious that a life-threatening concentration of carbon monoxide was measured in both the suspect’s home and the home above it. The fire brigade was barely able to prevent the fire from spreading to the upstairs apartments. The residents were home at the time. A life-threatening situation, the judge finds.
The Emmen resident also threatened a truck driver with an air rifle that day. The suspect wanted to flee with the truck. He placed the air rifle against the window of the cabin, after which the weapon went off.
Due to his behavior, the suspect created a frightening situation for the driver and local residents. The judge found that the sense of security of these people was seriously affected. Moreover, this happened in broad daylight and caused a lot of unrest in the neighborhood.
The Emmen resident suffers from schizophrenia. The condition was exacerbated by cannabis use. Moreover, the man had not been taking his medication for a long time. He said he suffered from side effects. By keeping the suspect in detention longer, he can then be immediately admitted to the clinic.