Suspects could face 10 years in prison for robbing Dutch celebs

On Friday, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) demanded up to 10 years in prison against the suspects of a series of violent robberies on Dutch celebrities, including YouTube star Nikkie de Jager and an attempted robbery of football analyst Rene van der Gijp. According to the OM, there is enough evidence to convict the suspects, aged 21 to 23 from Rotterdam and Ridderkekr, of forming a criminal organization.

The OM holds eight suspects in varying compositions responsible for four robberies and three burglaries in 2020. They struck in Rotterdam, Dordrecht, Krimpen aan den IJssel, Rockanje, Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, Mijnsheerenland, and Uden. They chose their targets carefully, the prosecutor said.

Four men robbed Nikkie de Jager, known from her YouTube channel NikkieTutorials, and her fiance in their home on 8 August 2020. The robbers were armed with a pistol and a chef’s knife. They tied the victims to chairs with duct tape, tie wraps, and ropes.

The robbers made off with valuable jewelry, keys, and a Louis Vuitton bag, among other things. For this robbery and other crimes, the OM demanded eight years in prison against Eddie N. (25), ten years in prison against Hamza T. (23), and nine years against Said O. (33). The OM also want them banned from the area around De Jager’s home for five years.

The police found N.’s DNA in De Jager’s home. According to the OM, the men’s getaway car belonged to T., whose phone also connected to a transmission tower in De Jager’s neighborhood. According to the OM, he was one of the group leaders.

The prosecutor revealed in her indictment that the suspects conducted several preliminary reconnaissances around the make-up artist’s homes in June and July. Early on 8 August, at 5:30 a.m., they had already cut a hole in the fence around her garden. The OM based this on thermal images from the security cameras around the house. The robbery itself started ten hours later, at 3:33 p.m., and lasted 23 minutes.

The OM demanded seven years in prison against 21-year-old Younes S. from Ridderkerk for the failed robbery of Rene van der Gijp. The would-be robbers used hammers to smash the windows of his armored car in the driveway of his house. The OM called the robbery attempt well prepared.

The authorities based their suspicions against S., whose been in custody for eight months, on telecom data, among other things. He had 95 notes on his phone of license plates, addresses, and watches. According to the judiciary, his phone beamed on a transmission tower near Dordrecht on the evening of the robbery, along with a phone belonging to a man already convicted for complicity.

The OM demanded two, three, and 4.5 years in prison against the other suspects. The court will rule on 8 July.