Police destroyed evidence after informant's death: Report

The police withheld crucial information from the court and destroyed evidence after the death of police informant Freddy Janssen, whose body was found sawed into pieces and dumped into the Markkanaal in Noord-Brabant in May 2015, newspaper AD reports based on its own research and information from insiders.

Janssen's body was fished out of the Markkanaal in pieces in May 2015. He worked as an informant for the Criminal Intelligence Team, providing information on arms dealer Jan B., among other things, according to the newspaper. The court concluded that Janssen took his own life in the presence of Jan B., and convicted B. of disposing of Janssen's body.

According to AD, Janssen provided the police with information on Jan B. He sent the police a whole series of photos of weapons B. had in his possession, among other things. The day before his disappearance, he sent a cry for help to the police, according to emails the newspaper has in its possession.

The police never told the court that Janssen was their informant, and that he informed on Jan B. By concealing this from the court, the police and Public Prosecution Service withheld crucial information abut a possible motive for murder, "concerned police officers" said to AD. 

After Janssen's death, the police also actively tried to erase evidence of their contact with the informant, the newspaper wrote. Two incriminating reports on the police operation were suddenly missing, the passwords to Janssen's email account was changed, and two seized laptops were mysteriously damaged, police sources said. 

"This case has all the hallmarks of a major cover-up," AD quoted one of its sources.

"I have never seen the police break all the rules in such a way," another source said. "A cleaning campaign was held, all information about Janssen had to go."

The police told AD that it will investigate the facts the newspaper presented to them.