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NOS News•today, 2:16 PM•Amended today, 5:28 PM
A man from Benthuizen (ZH) must serve 12.5 years in prison for killing his Malaysian wife in 2007. This has been determined by the court in The Hague. Bert den B. was previously acquitted for the murder in Thailand.
In October 2008, the remains of the then 37-year-old woman were found in a bricked-up cesspool, Omroep West writes. It stood next to the couple’s home in Ranong, on the west coast of Thailand. The woman had been missing for eleven months at the time.
Den B. had already left the house for some time. The Thai police investigation was taken over by a cold case team in the Netherlands, after Den B. returned to live in his home country.
He has always denied that he had anything to do with his wife’s death and was acquitted in 2019 due to lack of evidence. The Public Prosecution Service disagreed and appealed. Two weeks ago, the court demanded 11.5 years in prison.
Abused
The woman’s cause of death has never been determined. However, witnesses have stated that she was abused by her husband. The woman reportedly told her family that she feared for her life. “She was found in a cesspool, the lid of which was closed and sealed with cement. She could not have done that herself,” the Public Prosecution Service said.
Peter R. de Vries made a broadcast about the case in 2012. Den B.’s lawyer said two weeks ago that witnesses had been influenced by this and that the man should therefore be acquitted.
