The man who would have hung a life-threatening hand grenade on a door handle in Roosendaal has been acquitted. According to the judge in Breda, there is insufficient evidence that he has anything to do with it. The prosecutor thought so too.
The threat was on April 6, 2021 at the Stephanusdonk in Roosendaal. The family that lives there was at home. Suddenly someone threw a brick through the window. When one of the sons opened the door to take a look, he saw a hand grenade hanging from the door handle. The police evacuated a few houses and explosive ordnance disposal personnel from defense took the explosive and blew it up in a safe place.
DNA and camera images
The police found DNA of the suspect, a 39-year-old man from Breda, on the hand grenade. But the court spoke of ‘movable DNA’. Because it is impossible to determine how and when his DNA ended up on the grenade, the court ruled.
Other important evidence consisted of CCTV images, at the house but also at the Lindeburg shopping center nearby. Two men with hoods were visible on it. One of the two men looked nothing like the suspect, the other was unrecognizable. “Nowhere can be deduced that he was one of those two persons,” the court said in Friday’s ruling.
‘area delivered’
There was also no evidence in court that the suspect knew the victims. There were no further messages in the file about the threat or possible extortion. His mobile phone also did not reach any transmission towers in Roosendaal that evening.
A week ago during the trial, the public prosecutor already concluded that the allegations are thin. “There is too much noise and no resemblance whatsoever,” said the officer, who did not even rule out that someone is trying to frame the suspect. The suspect himself also suggested that. “Someone has tricked me,” the suspect told the court in Breda a week ago.
Moreover, the public prosecutor and the lawyer agreed that the man could be released from prison after approximately 200 days in custody. The judge ruled on Monday that the man could go home immediately.
Coffee shop
The target of the failed attack or threat was the resident. He used to have a coffee shop in Roosendaal. A blackmailer demanded 15,000 euros from the victim. That hand grenade would be a warning of what would happen if the amount of money was not paid, research showed.
The Public Prosecution Service announced last week that they are working on a new suspect who must also come to court.
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