Three suspects had to answer in the Alkmaar court today for the alleged robbery and hostage-taking of a Post NL delivery person in September 2021. Thirteen pricey Quooker taps were stolen. According to the Public Prosecution Service, the violent robbery caused a lot of fear among parcel deliverers, but it turned out to be fabricated.
Three suspects are sitting in the Alkmaar courtroom today with their lawyers. Including the 26-year-old female postal worker who was allegedly taken hostage. A fourth suspect – Leendert H. from Langedijk – is no longer prosecuted. His case has been dropped for health reasons. He has previously stated extensively about his role in the robbery. He points to the three who are before the judge today.
Movie screenplay
It could be a scenario from an exciting book or film: the story starts at 12 noon on September 7, 2021 in the Geestmerambacht recreation area. There, parcel deliverer Jacqueline V. from Hippolytushoef, then 24 years old and living in Medemblik, raises the alarm because she was allegedly threatened with a firearm and robbed earlier in the morning on the Tourmalijn in Heerhugowaard.
She was taken lying in her bus to a parking lot in Geestmerambacht. She was left there with an empty bus. She then asks a walker for help while crying and reports the incident. Post NL also does this, although the company soon had the impression that something was wrong, the Public Prosecution Service said today.
‘For example, how could she have been transported lying down in a full van? According to Post NL, that is not appropriate.’ Camera images, track and trace data from the bus, call records and statements from witnesses also contradict a real robbery and hostage situation. A few weeks later, the postal worker and three men are arrested and admit that the robbery was staged. Today in court they reveal little about what happened.
The robbery also appears to be a ‘family affair’. Because Jacqueline is the niece of Jan V. (46) from Opmeer, who is also on trial today. According to statements by Leendert H., he was the inventor of the robbery plan. He strongly denies this and says he was pressured by H. to empty his niece’s bus. “I was full of fear.”
Quookers and bicycles
The third suspect is Danny R. (40) from Alkmaar. He is said to have stored the stolen items, thirteen Quookers and a number of bicycles, in his home. The items were later collected and sold. Jan would also be involved in that, which he believes is not true.
The three suspects do not reveal much today about what exactly happened in 2021. According to the Public Prosecution Service, the file shows that the niece drove to her uncle in Opmeer with her full bus. She would do that every morning to have a coffee and catch up. Leendert H., an acquaintance of Jan, is also present there.
According to Jacqueline and Jan, he put pressure on them, and both – out of fear – made a ‘wrong choice’ at that moment. The Public Prosecution Service believes that everyone involved staged the robbery because of outstanding debts and financial gain. The loot was approximately 10,000 euros, and was to be divided among the four.
However, the suspects’ lawyers see their roles differently. The evil genius is Leendert H., who is no longer prosecuted in this case. What exactly is wrong with him is not stated during the hearing. “It’s terrible what happened to him, but he can escape now,” reasons one of the lawyers.
Their clients would also have only received a few hundred euros from the ‘robbery’, and Jacqueline nothing at all. They do acknowledge that their clients are responsible for the fake robbery and false report. Danny R. only had a supporting role in it.
Jacqueline has improved her life, says her lawyer. “She comes from a well-known Alkmaar criminal family. She has independently left that world behind. She has a new social world and safety net and has become a member of the Pentecostal Church.”
According to his lawyer, Jan cooperated out of fear. “The threat from Leendert H. – also from a family well known to the justice system – caused my client to end up in a ‘fear tube’. The fact that Jan does not say much has everything to do with the fact that he does not want to explain about others.”
Penalties
The sentencing requirements for the niece and her uncle are the same: 120 days’ suspended prison sentence, minus pre-trial detention. For both of them, the bottom line is that they don’t have to go back to prison. The sentence requires a probation period of two years and also 80 hours of community service.
Danny R., in addition to his smaller role in the alleged robbery, is also charged with a number of home burglaries. He is being sentenced to a four-month suspended prison sentence with probation and 180 hours of community service.
In addition, according to the Public Prosecution Service, they must pay total compensation of more than 8,000 euros to Post NL. The judge will make a ruling on January 23.