Four years in prison for brutal home invasion in Alteveer in which a single resident (64) was gagged and abused

The resident woke up in the early morning a year ago to a noise. Before he knew it, a man jumped on top of him. He held the victim in a headlock and put a belt around his neck. The man, who was still in bed, found it difficult to breathe.

The intruders shouted for money. While the resident was held by one of the robbers, the other intruder searched the home. The victim had a towel stuffed in his mouth.

Bucket with 2000 euros of change

Ultimately, 550 euros was taken from the resident’s wallet. There was a bucket with change in the meter cupboard. That too disappeared afterwards. According to the victim, it contained around 2,000 euros in coins. This money was savings for his grandchildren, the victim later told police.

The invaders disappeared as suddenly as they had arrived. The resident called the police when he was sure he was alone in the home again.

The towel contained DNA material that did not come from the resident. The cell material was run through the Dutch database and resulted in a match with the Assen resident. There is no trace of the second intruder.

The man from Assen also matches the description given by the victim of the robber who held him. A nearby camera captured images of one of the robbers. The man in those images also shows great similarities with the man in his forties from Assen.

Traumatic event

The judge takes the suspect seriously for entering a home together with another person by destroying the back door. A home, someone’s bedroom, must be a safe place, the judge said. The impact of the robbery is great for the victim, an older and single man. He had to seek psychological help for this.

The sentence is equal to the demand of the Public Prosecution Service. The victim has been awarded compensation of more than 4,500 euros. In addition to the four years in prison, the man from Assen must also serve a previously imposed suspended prison sentence of six weeks.