Robin O., one of the suspects in the case about the torture containers in Wouwse Plantage, died on Tuesday. His lawyer confirms this after reporting by Het Parool. The case against Robin van O. was postponed in December because he was too ill to attend his lawsuits.
41-year-old Van O. died in hospital from the effects of skin cancer. Due to his death, the criminal case against him is immediately stopped, his lawyer says.
Van O. was seen as the companion of Piet Costa, an alias of Roger P.. In May he was tried for the so-called torture containers in a warehouse in Wouwse Plantage. These containers were furnished with an old dental chair to which victims could be strapped. A bag containing pruning shears, scalpels, pliers, tape and a pruning saw was also found in the same container.
Prepare for murder
The police have had their eyes on the men for some time. In December 2019, the police were eavesdropping on the suspects in a completely different case. They were planning a murder. The detectives got the impression that Robin van O. was also involved in this.
The case gained momentum when police intercepted the encrypted communications network EncroChat. In it, Robin van O. spoke with a number of other men about taking people hostage.
dental chair
When photos of shipping containers and a dental chair with belts were sent in those chats, the police decided to take action. They went looking for the containers and with success. They arrived at the warehouse in Wouwse Plantage through various bank statements. The police secretly went to look and hid a camera in the shed.
On June 22, 2020, searches were finally conducted at thirteen locations. The police then arrested the suspects from The Hague, Rotterdam, Spijkenisse, Utrecht, Nieuwegein and Lexmond.
View the images of the raid here: