A former resident of Beilen has been sentenced to 280 days in prison (180 suspended) for possession of several stolen bicycles and other items, assault, bicycle theft and trespassing.
In 2021, the police found stolen bicycles, tools and stolen building materials several times in the garden of the man, who lived on Esweg at the time. Bicycles were also found at his mother’s house, elsewhere in the village. The man was addicted to GHB and associated with people who committed thefts and deliberately stored the stolen items with him, he stated during the trial.
The man (35) tried to sell the bicycles and other items, knowing that they had been stolen. One bicycle, which was found at the fire station, he had stolen himself, he confessed. He was also convicted of assaulting a former friend and trespassing because he did not leave when the victim wanted him to.
Series of barn burglaries
The court takes the possession of the stolen items in particular seriously: “As a healer, he has played a not insignificant role in series of barn burglaries and thefts from construction sites. Barns and storerooms that were not closed were entered and looted. This caused unrest and feelings of insecurity in Beilen.”
The 35-year-old man has now kicked the habit and moved to Assen, where he is being treated and supervised by the probation service. That will remain the case for the foreseeable future, the court ruled. The punishment is equal to the demand of justice. Because he has been in pretrial detention for 100 days, he does not have to go back to prison if he does not go wrong again.