A 40-year-old man from Lieshout was today sentenced to 4 years in prison for ordering the placement of an explosive at the home of his ex-partner in Best. A restraining order was also demanded. At the time of the explosion, during the night of March 1, 2024, the woman was home with her daughter. The man is also suspected of threatening and assaulting the woman. According to the Public Prosecution Service, the man from Eindhoven could not accept that she did not want to continue with him.
That night, a deafening bang sounded at the front door of the house on Johannes Vermeerstraat. The door caught fire due to a bottle of gasoline attached to a Cobra 6. The resident and her daughter were able to get to safety in time. The house did sustain damage.
On the remains of the explosive, including a cap from the bottle with the flammable liquid and a piece of tape holding everything together, DNA from a 55-year-old man from Best was found. He was arrested and has since been sentenced to 36 months in prison, of which 6 months are conditional. Out of fear for the client, he refused to give a name, but eventually he revealed who sent him to place the bomb. He stated that he did it in exchange for some cocaine.
On his phone, besides photos of the house, chat conversations with the suspect were found leading up to the attack. The investigation also showed that the suspect had been at the executors home to assemble the explosive. For this reason, the Public Prosecution Service considers this not incitement but co-perpetration of the act.
Broken relationship
The victim had a relationship with the suspect. But in mid-2023, she ended it. This was not taken lightly by him. The dispute escalated to the point where she was assaulted and seriously threatened. The suspect allegedly shouted that he would kill her and set her house on fire. The public prosecutor takes this very seriously. “The number of explosions is increasing. This brings enormous dangers. For the direct victims, like today a mother with her daughter, but also for the neighbors. Such explosions have already caused millions in damage and, even worse, have cost several people their lives or limbs. The suspect can also read the news, knows the dangers of such explosives, but nevertheless does not hesitate to resort to this means.”
The judge is expected to give a verdict in two weeks
