Heerlen resident Danny van de B. was sentenced to four years in prison, with one year suspended. The court considers proven that he is responsible for throwing a heavy fireworks bomb.
The 26-year-old man is believed to be the mastermind behind as well as the perpetrator of the incident on Dec. 18, 2016, in which his neighbors' balcony in Heerlen's Abeelstraat was severely damaged.
Neighbor quarrel escalates
Danny stated earlier that a lingering conflict with his downstairs neighbors was the reason for throwing the mortar bomb. He was helped in this by Patrick P. (30), who drove Danny to Abeelstraat on his moped. Two weeks ago, the Public Prosecutor's Office (OM) demanded four years' imprisonment, one of which was suspended, against both men.
Lower penalty
Although the court agreed with the demand in Danny's case, his accomplice received a significantly reduced sentence. He received a two-year prison sentence, nine months of which were suspended. In both cases, the time spent in pretrial detention will be deducted from the total sentence. In Danny's case, that's fourteen months. Patrick is serving nearly nine months on remand.
Appeal
Attorney Gita Biesmans, who is assisting Danny in the case, was disappointed with the verdict. "Because it is clear that he also needs psychological help. I don't think society will benefit from him being detained for a long time. That only costs money. This boy just needs to be helped." She is considering an appeal.
