21-year-old from Drunen sentenced to eight years jail for shooting and deadly car crash

The court in Breda sentenced 21-year-old Piet van O. from Drunen to eight years in prison on Friday. He was the only person to survive a car crash in which the car that he was sitting in drove down the A16 motorway the wrong way. This came after he was involved in a deadly shooting by the Burgerhousestraat in Roosendaal. The Public Prosecution Service (OM) had recommended 10 years in jail against the suspect.

Van O. is being held partly responsible for causing a fatal accident on January 15 last year. The getaway car, in which Van O. was a passenger, drove the wrong way down the road at 150 kilometers an hour, with a 54-year-old Rotterdammer losing his life during the accident. His partner and her 17-year-old daughter from Antwerp were injured in the crash.

The 33-year-old Tilburger, who was driving the getaway car, and a 17-year-old from Harreveld, who was sitting in the back seat, also lost their lives in the incident.

Van O. was also convicted of attempted manslaughter for the shooting that occurred before the crash. Two shots were fired, and a 19-year-old was injured as a result.

According to the OM, Van O. was planning on using threats of violence to steal drugs or a car with two other accomplices. The court cannot determine what exactly preceded the shooting but did state that Van O. shot at least once. Shots were fired through the window near the passenger seat, where he had been sitting, according to his own statement.

The suspect denies firing a weapon and also emphasized that he had no influence on the driving behavior of the driver and the boy in the back seat, who filmed the reckless driving and subsequent police chase.

However, the court believes that the reckless driving was a result of the shooting. "The cooperation was so close and conscious that there is complicity."

Van O. had a troubled youth. He had been in ten different institutions between his fourth and 18th birthday.