9 April 2004

AMSTERDAM — Arnhem Appeals Court sentenced a 33-year-old man on Friday to nine years jail on several counts of attempted murder and trying to blackmail Dutch retailer Ahold.

The defendant — identified as high school physics teacher Edwin W., of Zwolle — was found guilty of trying to extort EUR 5 million from the supermarket multinational last year, news agency ANP reported.

In a bid to force Ahold into paying the blackmail money, W. fired a weapon at several houses in Deventer, Meppel and Zwolle. An older woman was slightly injured in the arm during a Meppel shooting.

Zwolle Court sentenced W. to seven years jail in October 2003, but the prosecution had demanded a 12-year jail term and lodged an appeal. The prosecution also demanded 12 years jail in the appeal hearing.

W. sent three letters to Ahold's Zaandam headquarters in April last year demanding EUR 5 million in cash to prevent the injury or death of unidentified victims.

Having received no answer from Ahold for several weeks, he bought a gun and fired at several houses randomly selected around Albert Heijn (AH) supermarkets and at an AH supermarket in Zwolle.

Ahold then placed an advertisement in newspaper De Telegraaf to make contact with the blackmailer and a telephone call eventually assisted police to arrest him. The man's school reacted with shock to the news.

W. resolved to try and blackmail Ahold because he wanted to give his mother a better lifestyle and was determined to have a better life than his father.

The prosecution has demanded an eight-year jail term against co-accused Jochem van Z., but the case has been adjourned until 27 May.

[Copyright Expatica News 2004]

Subject: Dutch news