– Trio sentenced for brutal murder of Dutch journalist
– Three individuals convicted for up to 28 years for killing Dutch reporter.
Accident – Death – Obituary News :
The Hague (AFP) – A Dutch court has issued lengthy jail sentences to three men for the murder of renowned crime journalist Peter R. de Vries, a shocking incident that deeply affected the nation.
Issued on:
Modified:
3 min
De Vries was fatally shot in broad daylight on a busy Amsterdam street in July 2021, triggering widespread sorrow and alarm regarding the influence of organised crime in the Netherlands.
The high-security court in Amsterdam labelled the killing of the 64-year-old journalist as a “liquidation” carried out with “complete disregard for the sanctity of human life.”
Prosecutors had pushed for life imprisonment for the three primary suspects, suspecting a connection between the murder and De Vries’s role as an advisor to a witness against drug kingpin Ridouan Taghi.
However, the court concluded that without Taghi’s involvement in the trial, a definitive link between the Marengo case and the murder of De Vries could not be established.
The court sentenced the gunman, identified as 24-year-old Dutchman Delano G., and the driver of the getaway vehicle, 38-year-old Polish man Kamil E., to 28 years in prison.
The third individual, 29-year-old Krystian M., considered the mastermind behind the assassination, received a harsher penalty of 30 years, later reduced to 26 years and one month due to time served.
The court justified the absence of life sentences by stating that the case involved a single murder and that the defendants had no prior convictions for similar offences.
Additionally, three other accomplices were sentenced to between 10 and 14 years for their roles in the murder, while two individuals suspected of being part of a criminal group were acquitted. A ninth defendant faced acquittal of complicity charges but was convicted of drug possession.
A video capturing De Vries severely injured circulated after the attack, leading prosecutors to charge the suspects with “murder with terrorist intent.” However, the court dismissed this charge, stating that while the nation was deeply disturbed by the murder, there was no evidence of a terrorist motive.
‘Narco-state’
De Vries initially gained prominence as a fearless crime reporter for the newspaper De Telegraaf, documenting the infamous 1980s kidnapping of beer magnate Freddy Heineken, a story later adapted into the film “Kidnapping Freddy Heineken” in 2015.
Transitioning to television, he hosted the popular crime programme “Peter R. de Vries, Crime Reporter,” and achieved international recognition in 2008 for his coverage of the disappearance of American citizen Natalee Holloway in Aruba, winning an Emmy Award.
Following his tragic death, thousands paid their respects to De Vries in Amsterdam, honouring a journalist hailed as a national hero.
From 2020, he served as an advisor to Nabil B., the key witness in the case against Taghi, the Netherlands’ most wanted criminal. In 2019, De Vries disclosed being on Taghi’s hit-list, a revelation that followed the killings of Nabil B.’s brother Reduan in 2018 and his lawyer Derk Wiersum in 2019.
Collectively, these three murders raised concerns of the Netherlands evolving into a “narco-state,” impacting all levels of Dutch society. Crown Princess Amalia, King Willem-Alexander’s daughter, relocated to Spain for safety due to potential threats from organised crime groups.
Both the royal family and Prime Minister Mark Rutte faced mentions in messages by criminal organisations, heightening fears of abduction or assault.
© 2024 AFP
.
Dutch journalist murder Trio jailed
Trio jailed Dutch journalist murder.
