Two young men were sentenced to prison terms of 25 and 30 months by the Brussels criminal court on Friday because they were involved in the violent theft of a luxury watch in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw. The two had not stolen the watch themselves, but had helped the thief.
The victim had put his Rolex watch up for sale for 12,500 euros on a second-hand site and had arranged to meet an interested buyer at a car wash.
Pepper spray
When the buyer arrived, he first calmly examined the watch, but then took out a can of pepper spray, sprayed it in the victim’s face and made off with the timepiece. The victim was able to chase him and saw a dark BMW drive away, of which he was able to note the number plate. The same BMW was checked by the police later that evening, but they found no watch inside. The two occupants also claimed to know nothing, but according to the civil party and the public prosecutor, they were indeed involved in the facts.
“The BMW followed the taxi with which the thief came to Sint-Pieters-Leeuw”, it sounded. “The telephone and ANPR investigation also shows that the mobile phone with which the thief had registered on the second-hand site followed the same route as that BMW.”
The defense of the two suspects confidently asked for acquittal. “That ANPR and telephony investigation is full of holes,” said the lawyers of the two. “Our clients were in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw to buy shoes and recently purchased shoes were also found during that police check. They only briefly picked up someone who asked for a lift, and that was probably the thief, but otherwise they have nothing to do with the to commit theft.”
However, their arguments failed to convince the court. The two young men, who had previously been convicted of similar offences, were sentenced to 25 and 30 months in prison.
This article is originally published on bruzz.be
