Criminal sentencing in Belgium and the Netherlands

In separate legal rulings in Belgium and the Netherlands, individuals were sentenced for theft and digital crimes.

A 33-year-old man from Nieuwpoort received a fifteen-month suspended prison sentence from a court in Bruges. Driven by severe gambling debts, he systematically stole money from the cash register of a Diema’s Boerenbrood bakery branch in Westende starting in October 2022. The theft was discovered after the owner set a trap using marked 100-euro notes. While the prosecution estimated the theft at 50,000 euros, the judge ruled the amount was at most 10,000 euros. As part of his sentence, the man is banned from entering casinos and gambling establishments.

In the Netherlands, a 25-year-old man from Tollebeek was sentenced to eighteen months in prison by the Rechtbank Noord-Nederland. He was found guilty of selling illegal cheat software for Grand Theft Auto V and FiveM, which allowed players to gain advantages, disrupt servers, or bypass bans. Investigators also discovered login credentials for over one million accounts on his equipment. Additionally, the man was convicted of dealing hashish and marijuana over a period of eighteen months.