Former pro-footballer convicted in Belgian carjacking
A Belgian court has convicted a former professional Dutch football player and another Dutchman of a hijacking in July last year. Nathan A. and the other Dutchman were sentenced to two years in prison and a fine of 3,200 euros by the court in Kortrijk, AD reports.
Four years ago, Nathan A. still played for Napoli. He then transferred to the Belgian clubs Patro Eisden and SK Tongeren.
The hijacking happened in the parking lot of an Esso gas station along the E17 in Marke on 24 July 2024 at around 9:40 a.m. “Under threat of a weapon, a man wearing a balaclava forced [the victim] to hand over the car keys to his rented car,” the public prosecutor said in court last month. “The perpetrators were not so much after the car, but after the contents of the vehicle.” A witness saw three people transfer items from the Mercedes Citan to two vehicles with Dutch license plates.
The police arrested Nathan A. and Yasser A. (28) on the highway in East Flanders later that day, driving a different car. They found five phones, a balaclava, and a black tracksuit in the car.
Nathan A.’s lawyer argued that his client only had a limited role and should not be sent to jail. “Camera footage from the gas station showed him walking around that parking lot, but it also showed that he never got to that car,” the lawyer said.
The court sentenced both Dutchmen to 2 years in prison and a fine of 3,200 euros. Neither has to go back to prison. The court translated the six months they spent in pre-trial detention into their prison sentence. The other 18 months are conditionally suspended.
