A 43-year-old man was sentenced to 4 years in prison on Monday for placing a hand grenade at a tanning salon in Den Bosch. He is also said to have set off a Cobra 8 on that spot that same night, July 9 last year. The suspect remained silent during the entire session in the Bossche court. But according to the prosecutor, there is sufficient evidence that the man is responsible.
At the beginning of July last year, a hand grenade was hung on a piece of tape on the outside of a tanning salon on Hildebrandstraat in Den Bosch. The perpetrator then detonated heavy fireworks, a Cobra 8, in front of the building.
The 43-year-old suspect did not want to say whether he did this on Monday morning in the court in Bossche. However, the man’s DNA was found on both explosives. During an earlier interrogation, the suspect would have stated that his DNA was on the tape, because he would have used it for work. He did not say what activities that are.
After the explosion, the perpetrator took off on a white scooter. This can be seen on camera images. During the arrest in the house of his parents where the suspect was staying at the time, the same kind of ‘escape scooter’ was parked in the garden. Despite the fact that the man does not have a driver’s license, his mother would have stated that her son would sometimes ride the scooter.
Criminal circuit
To this day it is not clear what exactly prompted the placement of the hand grenade and the explosion of heavy fireworks at the tanning salon. “We can only guess, but this did not happen haphazardly,” said the prosecutor.
A week before the explosion, the building was closed by mayor Jack Mikkers for money laundering. “Do you have a fight in the criminal world?” asked the presiding judge. But the suspect did not answer that either. The probation service is aware that the man has chosen the criminal path from the age of 18. First for the thrill, then for the money.
Sufficient evidence
According to the Public Prosecution Service (OM), despite the suspect’s silence, there is sufficient evidence that he is the perpetrator. DNA has been found, there are CCTV images and witness statements.
“It cannot be otherwise that the gentleman who caused the explosion, placed the hand grenade and drove off with the scooter,” said the officer. “We are talking about very serious facts that have sharpened the sense of security of Den Bosch society.” The officer therefore demanded a prison sentence of 4 years.
The suspect’s lawyer believes that the man should be acquitted of all charges. She therefore requests the court to suspend the pre-trial detention of the suspect.
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