Prosecutors ask for life sentence over gun murder

Prosecutors in the Netherlands have called for a life sentence to be handed out to a man who is on trial for ordering a murder 22 years ago.

British drug smuggler Robert Dawes was charged three years ago with ordering the murder of Gerard Meesters, who was shot dead outside his home in Groningen in 2002.

The 52-year-old, from Nottinghamshire, was jailed for 22 years in 2018 for drug trafficking after a judge-only trial in Paris.

Now he is on trial in Amsterdam for "inciting the murder" of Mr Meesters, said the Public Prosecution Service (OM) North Netherlands.

In a statement the OM said a British man was handed a life sentence in 2005 over the murder, with other sentences imposed on people involved in the crime.

It said the inability at the time to trace who orchestrated the attack "weighed heavily on [Mr] Meesters' family", but in 2021 a prosecution case was brought against Dawes.

"Prosecutors describe him as the intellectual mastermind, meaning the killing would not have taken place without his involvement," the OM said.

"The suspect allegedly led a criminal organization involved in drug trafficking, of which the gunman was a member."

The OM said the victim "had no connection to the criminal organization led by the suspect" and "was killed solely to [instil] fear", with other people beaten or tortured to prevent them speaking out on the case.

After a public hearing in December 2021, a final interview was held with an investigating judge in February this year, which resulted in "enabling the scheduling of trial dates".

Prosecutors are calling for a life sentence for Dawes "partly because the suspect has lived his entire life as a ruthless criminal, amassing significant wealth", and emphasised the effect on the victim's family.

"Since 2002, Gerard Meesters’ relatives have been trapped in a horrific ordeal," they said.

"They have witnessed how their completely innocent father was murdered by a criminal organization."

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