Four men were sentenced to five months in prison by the court in Breda on Friday for a brutal burglary at a bicycle shop in Goirle. According to the judges, they worked in a targeted and well-prepared manner.
The burglary happened on the night of November 20, 2025. The men from Romania smashed a window and took seven expensive bicycles from the store, with a total value of approximately 34,000 euros.
Cleverly prepared, away quickly
According to the judge, the theft was well prepared. Two of the men went exploring around half past eleven in the evening. About an hour later the other two came along and struck. Within a few minutes they had taken seven bicycles with them. They hid them in a meadow nearby, with the plan to pick them up later. But that turned out differently.
A forest ranger found the bicycles a day later and called the police. Officers then monitored the scene. When the men returned to collect the bicycles on the evening of November 22, they were arrested.
Seven instead of eight bicycles
It was previously thought that eight bicycles had been stolen. The court assumes seven. This is because seven bicycles were recovered and that fits better with the report and camera images.
The bicycles together were worth around 34,000 euros. According to the court, this type of crime is not only expensive, but it also causes unrest and an unsafe feeling.
Story about ‘assignment’ not believed
The suspects have confessed to committing the burglary. They did say that they were acting on behalf of someone who knew the owner, and that it would involve insurance fraud. The court does not believe this and states that there is no evidence that this story is correct.
No compensation, but jail time
The owner of the bicycle shop also asked for compensation for psychological complaints. He will not receive this through the criminal case, because it is not well substantiated. He can still go to civil court.
The Public Prosecution Service spoke of ‘mobile banditry’, because the men come from Romania and may have traveled around for crime. The court sees insufficient evidence for this and does not take it into account in the sentence.
The court finds a prison sentence of five months appropriate. The time the men were already in custody will be deducted from this.
Erwin Rings was devastated by the devastation and theft:
