Hasselt criminal judge seizes Ford Transit from Romanian copper thieves in Pelt

Denial

Three days later they stopped in Kontich and took a poutrel with them. A witness quickly managed to block the Transit by standing in front of it and called the police. Officers arrived on the scene and identified the perpetrators. They themselves claimed to have permission to take materials from a home. Not so. The next day, the police stopped the perpetrators’ Ford Transit in Lommel. One of the two suspects had 6,250 euros in his pocket. “Income from the sale of scrap iron. Intended to buy a car with it,” it said. Despite their denial, the judge found the duo guilty of the thefts. “Yet we didn’t steal anything. We bought everything or it was thrown away,” the perpetrators tried in vain. In his own words, the plan was to then sell everything to a buyer in the Netherlands.

Previous convictions

The judge spoke about serious facts and about perpetrators who move from country to country, resulting in a feeling of insecurity. The fact that the eldest had already been convicted for thefts in Germany and Sweden did not help their credibility either. The judge imposed 18 months in prison and a fine of 1,200 euros. His companion, who still had a clean criminal record, must serve 1 year in prison and pay an 800 euro fine. Finally, the thieves’ Ford Transit was confiscated, as was the 6,250 euros they had in their pockets.