Harlingen, Midlum, Leek, Uithuizen, Eelde, Paterswolde, Haren, Harkstede, Middelstum, Loppersum, Ten Post, Garmerwolde, Schildwolde, Lageland, Siddeburen, Roden, Woltersum, Steendam and Tjuchem. A long list of places in Friesland, Groningen and Drenthe where a 33-year-old man from Lithuania was active in the summer of 2023. According to the Public Prosecution Service, he burglarized a home 29 times and attempted nine times in Northern Netherlands within less than a month. The public prosecutor demands a seven-year prison sentence.
The burglaries mainly focused on money and (golden) jewelry. He also took a telephoto lens, a coin, a speaker, bike chargers, an electric bike, a Nintendo Switch and shoes here and there. A sad low point is that the suspect also emptied childrens piggy banks in some homes. The man himself states that he earned about 15,000 euros from the burglaries.
Slingshot and fishing sinker
The suspect admits to part of the burglaries and states that he came to the Netherlands in July 2023 with the intention to commit them. He targets detached houses where he thinks the residents were not home. He uses a slingshot and fishing sinker to break windows. He also steals bicycles in some cases to move from one house to another. His base is a hotel room in the city of Groningen. He sends the loot in parcels to Lithuania so that the stolen goods can mainly be sold to jewelers and buyers of gold jewelry.
Insecurity
The public prosecutor emphasizes that a residential burglary is a particularly serious criminal offense. Not only because of the damage caused to the house and theft of items. “A home is usually someones most intimate and safe place. When a stranger breaks in, it often causes a lasting feeling of insecurity. This is also supported by the statements of the victims.”
The public prosecutor holds the suspect heavily accountable for causing this feeling of insecurity. As well as the fact that his focus was on jewelry often of inestimable emotional value. Many pieces of jewelry were sent to Lithuania by the suspect and probably will never return.
Appropriate punishment
The public prosecutor says the maximum sentence for a single residential burglary is nine years. He wonders aloud in court how many burglaries one must commit to reach the legal maximum sentence. For example, the court in East Brabant once imposed eight years imprisonment for 25 residential burglaries. Violence was used once and there was a criminal organization involved. In this Northern Netherlands case, the suspect acted alone, although there are many more criminal offenses. All things considered, the public prosecutor finds a seven-year prison sentence appropriate.
The court in Northern Netherlands will deliver its verdict on December 9.
