The Amsterdam Criminal Court has sentenced three men to prison terms of up to 28 years for the murder of Dutch crime reporter Peter R de Vries.
The murder is said to be the work of a notorious drug gang led by Ridouan Taghi, who was sentenced to life in prison earlier this year.
The shooter, identified as Delano G, and the driver of the getaway car, Kamil E, each received sentences of 28 years. A third man, Krystian M, got a sentence of 26 years.
The guilt of the three main defendants in the murder was proven beyond doubt, the judges in the high-security court in Amsterdam stated.
They had shown "no respect for human life whatsoever," presiding judge Gert Oldekamp said and spoke of "tremendous ruthlessness and lack of conscience."
The prosecution had asked for life imprisonment for the three main suspects on the grounds that it was a terrorist offence. According to the judges, however, there was no evidence that "the murder was intended to instil great fear in the population."
Only Krystian M had admitted complicity and apologized to the victim's relatives. The other defendants had invoked their right to remain silent and refused to testify.
Like the prosecution, they can appeal the judgements.
The burden of proof was great: There were dozens of witnesses, camera images, audio recordings, the murder weapon was seized in the getaway car and the investigators had found a mobile phone with incriminating text messages in the car.
The court handed out a 14-year sentence and two 10-year sentences to other accomplices.
De Vries, a well-known TV reporter, was shot in public in the centre of Amsterdam in the summer of 2021 at the age of 64. He later succumbed to his injuries. The crime shocked the country.
De Vries was the confidant of a key witness who had testified in extensive criminal proceedings against Taghi and his accomplices.
The brother of that witness and his defence lawyer had previously been murdered.
The three murders showed the extent of drug terror in the Netherlands and changed the country. Since then, lawyers and reporters have been under personal protection.
Taghi was sentenced to life imprisonment in February, but for other murders. So far there is no evidence that he is also responsible for the murder of the reporter, the judges stated.
There were probably contractors, said judge Oldekamp. "But they are not on trial now."