The Maastricht court acquitted three men from Parkstad of hostage-taking, deprivation of liberty and extortion of a Hoensbroek resident.
The judges' ruling follows the defenses of lawyers Theo Boumans and Sjanneke de Crom. These argued earlier that the judiciary had provided "zero evidence" to punish the three.
Prosecutor Carla Alberts two weeks ago demanded 42 months in prison against the three suspects, Nillis K. (34), Dave Z. (39) and Christiaan R. (30).
They allegedly took a Hoensbroek resident to a shed on the Ganzeweide in Heerlen in late December 2017 and held him there for hours. The men wanted six thousand euros from him because they held him responsible for stealing amphetamine paste and hemp plants.
Torture
They allegedly assaulted him and threatened to torture him. The lawyers and defendant Christiaan R., who was the only one attending the trial in early June, said the alleged victim had made up his story. They called the Hoensbroeken man "unreliable and unstable. He was allegedly under the influence of drugs and alcohol that day.
The court said in the verdict that the prosecution did not support its story with any evidence.
