46-year-old Sydney H. must serve three years in prison for a robbery in Eindhoven in 2014. The court in Den Bosch decided this on Thursday. On March 5, 2014, he robbed a company on Achtseweg Noord in Eindhoven, where he stabbed an employee (55).
On the late evening of March 5, 2014, around half past twelve, Sydney H. entered the company’s changing room while masked. The victim initially thought it was a joke, because it was the day after carnival, but he soon realized that the man with the colorful mask was serious.
The two got into a struggle and the victim was stabbed in the back with a large meat cleaver. He was then dragged to another room and tied up with tape. The robber wanted access to the safe containing expensive precious metals. But the victim did not have a key and the robber then left in his car.
Years later a report
The police did secure traces, but for years no perpetrator was identified. Until a report came from Germany in 2021. There was a DNA match with a certain Sydney H. who now lives in Munich.
Sydney’s DNA was found on the tape used to gag the victim at the company. Sydney’s DNA was also found in the victim’s car, on the steering wheel and on the gear lever.
Sydney stated during the hearing that he considers the robbery a ‘serious matter’, but that he had nothing to do with it. Sydney lived in Hoogeveen, 200 kilometers from Eindhoven, in 2014 and insisted that he attended his stepdaughter’s birthday in Germany on March 5, 2014. And so he couldn’t even be the perpetrator.
DNA in changing room
According to H.’s lawyer, it could not be legally and convincingly proven that Sydney is the perpetrator. His DNA may have been found in various places, but it could never have been left directly by Sydney. The robber was wearing gloves, according to the victim. And the DNA was on the back of a roll of tape on a locker in the locker room.
According to the lawyer, this could have ended up on a glove via Sydney’s family in Eindhoven and thus been delivered to the roll of tape by the real perpetrator. The same scenario applies to the tracks in the car.
However, the court dismissed Sydney’s arguments. The DNA found is clearly his, the court says. The court believes that the defense must come up with stronger arguments as to how Sydney’s DNA could have ended up on the gloves of another perpetrator.
Alibi about birthday
Sydney’s alibi that he was in Germany for his stepdaughter’s birthday is also not believed. His father and a friend give different explanations about the visit to Germany and there is also no evidence, such as receipts from a gas station or evidence of a visit to a strip club.
The court also finds it strange that Sydney does not have any photos of his stepdaughter’s birthday. She then turned 15 and that is a special birthday in Antillean culture, because from then on a girl is seen as an adult. Such big parties are also always held on the weekend and, according to Sydney, that was now just during the week.