Dries van H. (29) from Berlicum has to spend a year in jail because he killed 85-year-old Ad Smits in Schijndel. He is also banned from driving for ten years. The court in Den Bosch determined this on Friday. The victim was hit by Van H.’s van while cycling last August and ended up on the verge next to Molendijk-Noord. Van H. drove on and 85-year-old Smits died in hospital from his injuries. “The lightness with which he drove was shocking.”
During the hearing two weeks ago, there was plenty of surprise and annoyance about Van H’s enormous criminal record. No less than twenty pages with almost a hundred violations. “I have not often seen it so colorful,” said the chairman of the court about his criminal record. “You have no business in a car.” On top of the one-year prison sentence, the man from Berlicum must serve another two months, because he already had suspended prison sentences.
‘Rounds in the neighborhood’
On August 23, 2022, Van H. drove his van through Schijndel, even though he had not had a driver’s license for six years. He said he wasn’t quite there with his thoughts that day. He was on his way to his mother in Berlicum to talk about his relationship with his daughter. He was way too early and drove some laps near the canal.
He ended up on Molendijk-Noord, a long, straight road in the outskirts of Schijndel. A motorist driving in front of him was already watching him. Van H. rode impatiently behind him. When the predecessor passed 85-year-old Ad Smits, he looked in his mirror to see if the van behind him was doing the same. To his horror, the man saw the van hit the cyclist and he fell onto the verge.
Van H. did not care about the victim. He drove away at high speed and only reported to the police after a week. The stubborn driver had never seen the cyclist, he stated. He thought he hit a post or something with his mirror and later covered it with duct tape. He thought no more about the accident. When he heard that a man had died, he still came forward, he said.
‘Left helpless’
The public prosecutor had demanded ten months in prison and another five months if the man from Berlicum makes the mistake again. If Dries ever gets his driver’s license again, he will not be allowed to use it for the first five years. The court found a harsher sentence more appropriate: “The frivolousness with which he decided to just drive around in circles was shocking.”
Especially because he had already been convicted eight times for traffic violations and because he drove without a valid driver’s license. The judge also thought of the relatives: “It must be unpalatable for them that the suspect left their father fatally injured and helpless.” The man must pay the family compensation of more than 17,500 euros.
The cyclist was left behind after the accident: