1/5 Yvon K. in court. (Drawing: Eric Elich)
The controversial poison murder, road pirates and old acquaintances who went wrong again. And major lawsuits that ended in remarkably heavy sentences, up to life in prison. Digital fornicators, cleaning the drug pit and the cannabis test. 2023 was not a boring year. These are some highs and lows from Brabant crime news.
The poison murder was perhaps the case of the year 2023. A murder involving poison is already rare. Just like the motive: the fortune of victim Chris Grinwis. As if it were a Hollywood movie. Suspect Yvon K. was a woman from Tilburg who had all appearances against her. Yet there seemed little direct evidence that she had poisoned Chris to collect his inheritance. The public prosecutor saw enough evidence and demanded 19 years in prison.
When the court was on the eve of the verdict, something unexpected happened: Yvon K. ended her life. This abruptly stopped the entire lawsuit. We will never know what the court thought of the accusations against her. For Chris’s relatives, but also for Yvon’s, a bitter legacy that they have to live with.
View the full story behind this controversial case here:
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Sky-high penalties
2023 was also the year of sky-high penalties. The longest sentence was for Onur K. from Etten Leur. The court in Den Bosch gave him a life sentence for killing his family and mother. A life sentence was also threatened for the robbery-murder duo Bill and Sharona, but they were 30 and 23 years old. They traveled through the Netherlands like a true murder couple. Their victims: former Vlisco CEO Willem van der Willigen in Lieshout and Benito van Ommeren in Amsterdam.
This is how this murder couple lived next to their dead victims for weeks:
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Road pirates
Thomas de G. was given a ten-year prison sentence and TBS, who killed an entire family on the A59. The driver who caused a fatal accident on the Ringbaan Oost in Tilburg also received a stiff sentence: nine years. In both cases, the court saw such an accumulation of errors, stupidities and extremely risky driving behavior that it was manslaughter.
It seems like a break from the trend in the past. At that time, suspects of traffic crimes were jailed for months rather than years.
Abuse
A few major indecent cases came to light this year, such as the sexual offense involving Master Bas from Vlijmen. He abused at least 70 children online. That earned him eight years in prison with TBS. Another abuse case, that of Gianni de W. from Etten Leur, is still pending in court.
2023 was also the year of old acquaintances:
– Arms and drug trafficker Martien R. from Oss was sentenced to another 16 years in prison by the court. According to the judge, he headed a criminal organization. Other members of the family gang from Oss also received high sentences.
– Drug broker ‘Pablo Icecobar’ received 15 years for, among other things, his involvement in the drug boat in Moerdijk.
– The ‘murder without a corpse’ ended in 17 years in prison, but the body of Jelle Leemans is still missing.
– XTC baron ‘Peerke’ S. from Eersel received 10 years for setting up drug labs. His son-in-law Harry from Bergeijk got 11 years in another drug case.
– Joop M. from the ‘undercover affair’ in Zevenbergschen Hoek got 9 years for drug smuggling.
– The controversial euthanasia case about drug X ended in a two-year prison sentence for the dealer.
Crypto
Police and justice were once again able to penetrate an underworld app. Exclu is the new goldmine of chat evidence. They also met Tilburger Kees F. there. While he was still involved in a trial and received a 7-year prison sentence, he appeared to simply continue with criminal activities. This also applied to several ex-top executives of the Satudarah motorcycle club. Just convicted, they were arrested again for drug trafficking.
‘Bolle’ Jos Leijdekkers also remained on the run in 2023. The native of Breda is seen as one of the major drug bosses in Europe and is in the news every few months due to the arrest of family and acquaintances.
Drug pit
The drug world is running at full speed, it seems. After blows from the dismantling of Encro and Sky, the underworld seems to be recovering somewhat. Especially when you look at the growth in the number of drug labs and the switch to lucrative crystal meth. Moreover, customs authorities are intercepting more and more coke at the ports.
Nowhere else was the damage caused by the drug industry more visible than in the drug pit on the outskirts of Halsteren. The cleaning of the well began and caused a gaping hole in the nature of the Brabantse Wal.
This is how the drug pit is cleaned:
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Weed test
Most drugs may be prohibited and controlled. Something is changing. Because the run-up to the national cannabis test started in Breda and Tilburg.
Marijuana was banned for almost a century. From now on, special licensed companies are allowed to grow and sell high-quality cannabis.
Murders
2023 was also the year in which Brabant was shocked by two violent TBS prisoners. One fled the clinic in Halsteren and was shot. The other is also said to have killed a hiker in Halsteren.
The 75-year-old woman was one of at least sixteen victims of murder and manslaughter in 2023 in Brabant. Some of these cases will come to court for the first time in 2024, as will even more crimes.
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