The robbers made off with a fortune in jewelry from Baunat. — © Getty Images/cca
Knokke-Heist/Bruges –
A 46-year-old Dutchman who was involved in a brutal robbery of a Knokke jewelery store has been given an effective prison sentence of seven years. A 37-year-old employee had to give the alarm codes at gunpoint. The perpetrators stole no less than 1 million euros in jewelry, but the Dutchman was captured after a wild chase.
On February 23 last year, an employee of the Knokke jewelery store Baunat was met by two gangsters when she returned home to Bruges. When she wanted to enter her home, the victim was confronted with a firearm. The masked perpetrators forced her inside, where she had to lie on the floor. The 37-year-old woman was tied up with straps and, while held at gunpoint, made to give the alarm codes and how to open the safe.
While one of the gangsters continued to take the victim hostage, his companion, together with a third party involved, rushed in the victim’s Audi A3 to the Baunat jewelry store in Kustlaan in Knokke. The two entered the business around 8:30 PM and stole 1 million euros worth of jewelry. When the two came outside, they were met by the police, who had recently been alerted by a witness. A spectacular chase ensued during which several gunshots were fired. Ultimately, the police were able to puncture the tires of the getaway car in a dead-end street.
Only one of the gangsters, Rotterdammer Michel dH (46), could be captured in a nearby garden. The bag containing the loot was recovered. However, some jewelry appeared to be damaged. A second suspect was later arrested. He will be tried later.
Tracker on car
Further investigation showed that the robbery had been planned down to the last detail. “A tracker was placed on the victim’s car as early as December 2022,” prosecutor Emilie Lingier clarified during the trial before the Bruges criminal court. She asked for eight years in prison for Michel dH, who she believed was the mastermind behind the robbery. The man had only been released from a French prison a month before the facts.
The defense disputed that he planned the robbery. “My client was approached by a tough guy from the Rotterdam criminal environment,” lawyer Maya Vanden Bogaerde argued. “He was able to pay off his debts with one job. He didn’t get much information, just a date and time when he was going to be picked up.”
Michel dH denied that he entered the victim’s home. He said he was driving the car alone. But according to the victim, he was indeed one of the men who threatened her in her home.
“Life destroyed”
The victim suffered trauma and is still unable to work. At the trial she read a self-written letter. “Since that day, my life has completely changed,” she testified. “I had only been working at the jeweler for four months. It was my dream to do something with gemstones and jewelry, but on February 23 that dream turned into a nightmare. I was terrified and thought I wouldn’t survive.” (Continue reading below the box)
Michel dH was ultimately sentenced to seven years in prison on Tuesday. The judge awarded the victim 12,000 euros in provisional compensation. A total of 12,900 euros in compensation was awarded to her employer and the insurer.