In his own words, Mark Gillis received thousands of reactions to the broadcast of Bureau Brabant, which focused on the armed robbery he experienced. And although he himself was there when a reconstruction was made, it still made an impression on himself to see it on TV now. “It was really intense again. Then everything comes back and I was pushed back to the facts again.”
Watching the broadcast also made a lot of sense in his immediate environment. “My mother saw everything for the first time, it was also really intense for her,” says Mark. Father Peter Gillis had already seen the images, but mother Treesie hadn’t yet. “She really suffered. She didn’t watch the broadcast with pride.”
The brutal robbery was almost five months ago, but Mark Gillis is still not the old one. “I’m just back to work, but as soon as it gets dark I have a hard time.”
If possible, Gillis has security with him when he arrives at his chalet in the Prinsenmeer holiday park in the evening. “I’ve also put up extra cameras, and big lights have been installed. I also have an emergency button so I can alert the police.”
But despite all those measures, Gillis still doesn’t really feel safe. “I look around me all the time and when I arrive here by car, I drive an extra round.” His house no longer feels like home since the robbery. †
“As soon as I get in, the door is locked and the alarm is on. And every little noise wakes me up at night, so I immediately look at the cameras.” Still, he didn’t consider leaving. “They’ll find me at another address, too.”
Surveillance images, which were shown on Monday in Bureau Brabant, show how three robbers try to overpower Gillis with pepper spray and a taser. As he lies on the ground, Gillis is kicked in the head and body. Inside the chalet, he is tied up with tie wraps and duct tape.
All in all, according to Mark, it took half an hour. “I don’t understand how they mistreat someone in such a brutal way because they think they can find some watches and money.”
“I have received thousands of reactions from acquaintances, family, friends and fans,” says Mark a day after the broadcast. ”All people who sympathize, are shocked and want to put a heart to me. I am really happy with that.”
Gillis himself did not receive any tips about the perpetrators, but they did come in to the police: six pieces.
The police now know who it is of one of the robbers, thanks to a DNA match. He is, however, still wanted, like the other men. “The perpetrators who did this to me deserve their punishment. I won’t sleep peacefully until they’re caught.” But even after that, Mark will always remain extra alert: “Danger is always lurking. If it’s not them, then it’s someone else.”