Drenthe was slightly less popular among Dutch tourists last year than in 2022 and suspects of the swimming pool murder in Marum were sentenced to twenty years in prison. Below you can read an overview of the most important news in our province.
The former director of the former healthcare institution De Brink-Akker in Wijster has been sentenced to nine months in prison, six of which are conditional. She fell asleep when she should have been supervising. A vulnerable client who needed her help called to no avail and died. The Public Prosecution Service accuses her of being negligent and of leaving the client to his fate. The woman from Erica is also being prosecuted for “failing to organize qualified healthcare personnel at the location overnight”.
Fewer tourists spent the night in Drenthe last year than the year before. This is evident from figures from the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). The decrease in Drenthe was 1.2 percent compared to 2022. The number of guests also decreased in other provinces. Last year, 1.8 percent fewer visitors stayed overnight in North Brabant and 7.4 percent in Friesland. Drenthe has become more popular among foreign tourists. In 2023, Drenthe had 32 percent non-Dutch guests.
In the appeal, prison sentences of up to twenty years have again been demanded for the suspects of the swimming pool murder in Marum. 40-year-old Jan Elzinga was shot dead in front of the entrance to the local swimming pool in the summer of 2012. The Public Prosecution Service believes that the in-laws gave the order for this. Monique and Marcel H. will have to spend twenty years in prison if it is up to the Public Prosecution Service. Their mother Coby van der L. heard 17 years of demands against her.
A 44-year-old man from Erica must perform 240 hours of community service for causing a fatal accident a year and a half ago in Tuk, near Steenwijk. He hit a motorcyclist with his van. The 55-year-old man from Steenwijk fell against a lamppost. He did not survive the blow.
Rent a home with energy label A on paper, but in reality it turns out to be label D. This happens to tenants of Woonconcept in the Koedijkslanden district in Meppel. Research by the housing association shows that 34 out of 52 houses have a higher energy label than expected.