Life sentence for Holland's super criminal

The Netherlands' most notorious criminal, Wille Holleeder, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for his involvement in five gangland killings and one manslaughter. Testimony given by his two sisters, an ex-girlfriend and two former accomplices played a key role in his conviction. Dutch commentators voice relief that this dangerous criminal is now behind bars.

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De Telegraaf (NL) /

Courageous witnesses end reign of terror

It was very courageous of Holleeder's sisters and ex-girlfriend to give damning testimony against him, De Telegraaf stresses:

“Holleeder was given the maximum punishment also thanks to the reliable testimony of three women who were desperate, saw no way out and turned to the judiciary to put an end to the reign of terror of the Heineken kidnapper. Thanks to their courageous actions Holleeder, who is so fond of playing the role of the popular Amsterdamer, was revealed as a lethal psychopath. According to the court he was a man of many faces which he used to reach his goals. 'But in fact the accused is a man who ruthlessly made decisions on the life and death of others," the court said.”

De Volkskrant (NL) /

Deals with criminals sometimes necessary

Sometimes unconventional investigation methods must be used, De Volkskrant believes:

“It was a daring exploit with a good ending: life imprisonment. In a previous trial Holleeder was already charged with two murders. And the testimony of chief witnesses was accepted there too. ... Even if this remains a problematic investigative method - after all, deals can be made with criminals - in the case of Dutch justice this is clearly a necessary evil for putting dangerous criminals behind bars. The defence announced that it would appeal the verdict. But it's highly unlikely that this will help its client.”