A 29-year-old man from Oosterzee (Friesland) stole about two tons of jewelry during burglaries at jewelers in Zuidlaren, among others. The man was sentenced to a one-year suspended prison sentence and 240 hours of community service for four burglaries.
According to the judge, the burglaries in 2021 and 2022 were well organized. They reconnoitred in advance and then broke in by force early in the morning. Roller shutters were destroyed and display cases were smashed with a sledgehammer.
The devastation was great. The affected entrepreneurs were left with a lot of misery, the judge ruled. In June 2021, almost 42,000 euros worth of jewelry was taken from a jeweler in Winschoten. A jeweler in Zuidlaren received an unpleasant visitor in the early morning in April 2022. About 22,000 euros were stolen there.
The burglars also struck in 2021 and 2022 at a telecom company in Heerhugowaard and a jeweler in Beek. In Beek they achieved their biggest success. There, 145,000 euros worth of jewelry was taken.
The suspect left DNA traces on a sledgehammer left behind. The officers also found a trail of the man’s blood on a bag left behind. The man also resembles one of the perpetrators captured on camera images.
His lawyer argued for a complete acquittal during the court hearing two weeks ago. The defense believes that the fact that DNA was found on tools left behind does not mean that he was present at the burglary.
The judge does not agree with that. It has not been announced why the case has only now been settled. Nor what happened to the co-perpetrators. The judge finds the case serious enough for a hefty prison sentence. But he also believes that the passage of time must also be taken into account.
De Fries now has his life in order. He has a job and a family. The suspect must pay compensation of 15,000 euros.