Ridderkerk man handed 14-year sentence for fatal Vroomshoop explosion over dog dispute

The Almelo court has handed a 14-year prison sentence to 66-year-old Ype van der M. from Ridderkerk for intentionally triggering an explosion and deadly fire in a Vroomshoop, Overijssel, home. The December 27, 2024, incident claimed the lives of two residents and three dogs and completely destroyed the adjacent house.

“The defendant took the law into his own hands in one of the most extreme ways conceivable,” the court said, handing down a sentence longer than the 12 years recommended by prosecutors.

The victims of the Meidoornlaan house were 61-year-old Herman Dogger and his 58-year-old wife, Jet. Witnesses described them as well-known dog enthusiasts in the local community.

The breeder of a rare dog breed was reportedly “very angry” after the man from Vroomshoop took a Bohemian Shepherd from his last litter for free from two clients and posted it on Marktplaats on December 26, 2024, intending to sell it. The Ridderkerk resident was determined to reclaim the dog, worried it might be bred further, and concerned about the risks of inbreeding. “When he was not allowed in, he completely lost control and did everything he could to enter the house and take the dog,” the court ruled.

The suspect grabbed two gas cylinders from the front yard. Using the first, he broke down the front door, then sprayed gas through the hole and hurled the second cylinder inside. The resulting explosion triggered the devastating house fire.

The occupants tried to escape to the bathroom but succumbed to the intense smoke. “While he did not intend to kill them, he is accountable for their deaths,” the court ruled. “He was determined to take the dog at any cost, using increasingly extreme violence, which tragically led to their deaths.”