A 33-year-old man who committed a violent house burglary in Overveen last year has been jailed for almost a year. During the burglary on August 31, 2022, he and another person threatened the occupant of the home on Prince Hendricklan with a screwdriver. He also shouted, “I’m killing you,” according to the court ruling this week.
During the robbery, the resident was pushed down the stairs. As a result, his head hit a stained glass window and he lost consciousness. Then the thieves stole all kinds of gold and silver jewelry, while continuing to threaten the residents. They then locked the resident in his house by locking the door from the outside with the keys.
The court sentenced the man to 14 months in prison, minus 74 days of pretrial detention. In practice, a man would have to spend nearly a year in prison. The court mainly blames the man because he did not leave when it became clear that the resident was in the house, and even threatened to kill him. According to the judge, the man traveled from Spain to the Netherlands only to break into homes here.
Previous burglaries
The suspect is no stranger to the law. A year after the robbery, the man was arrested and extradited from Italy. It then emerged that he had previously committed a series of robberies. In Switzerland, for example, he was convicted of sixteen robberies. During the robbery in Overveen, the 33-year-old suspect left his glasses behind. It contained DNA, which made it possible to trace it. He and the other suspect were seen in camera images. The co-thief has not yet been found.
The Public Prosecution demanded four years in prison and compensation. The final sentence is much lower at fourteen months, but the man must pay all damages amounting to approximately €4,300. According to the judge, a seven-month prison sentence is the usual punishment in the case of home burglary. But the judge imposed a higher sentence. This was partly because, according to the judge, the man had traveled to the Netherlands solely to rob, and because the victim was still suffering from psychological complaints due to the robbery. He is more cautious and can react aggressively to unexpected events, such as finding an unexpected visitor at his home that his wife had not informed him about in advance.
