Follow the case below via the tweets of court reporter Saskia Belleman.
Against one of the robbers, Danny S. (30), the Public Prosecution Service demanded a year and a half in prison, of which also six months conditionally. Two other ‘robbers’ have gone missing, as well as a man who is said to have acted as a kind of instigator in the scam project.
Van G. would have come to his special step because of financial problems, which he could not talk to anyone about. “I was in a panic,” he told the court. He conducted preliminary interviews with S. and on November 9, 2016, the robbers were allowed to fill their bags with jewelery in his company safe under his watchful eye. He had himself tied up and locked in that safe, only to be released later after a phone call to his daughter. Van G. subsequently filed a report and filed a million-dollar claim with his insurer. It paid 3.5 million euros as an advance.
Van G. fooled his family, the police and the employees of his company for months. In substantiating her sentence, the public prosecutor pointed out that the police had conducted a large-scale investigation into the shocking-looking robbery and spared no effort to resolve the case.
That only presented itself when Van G. fell through the cracks and it became clear that the whole story had been one big drama. Van G. confessed, as did S., although he only wanted to explain after a while. The duo have contradicted each other in various statements, for example about the amount of the loot.
Van G. extensively expressed regret before the court. “I couldn’t take it anymore,” he said emotionally. “I wasn’t like that, I’m not like that. I did something terrible.”
S., who comes from Houten, did not appear at the hearing. It is unclear where he resides; his lawyer left questions from the court about this unanswered.
The two suspects are no longer in custody. According to the Public Prosecution Service, the case will only come to court after almost six years. For example, the police investigation lasted a relatively long time, the defense requested additional investigation and finally the corona crisis put an end to a swift settlement.