A Dutch court on Friday sentenced to eight years in prison a man convicted of stealing two paintings by Vincent van Gogh and Frans Hals from small museums, while these works remain untraceable.
The 59-year-old accused, identified by the Dutch media as Nils M., was arrested in April in Baarn (center) for having stolen Van Gogh's painting in 2020
The garden of the presbytery of Nuenen in the spring
, dating from 1884, and the work of Franz Hals
Two Laughing Young Boys
.
See also Netherlands: a suspect arrested for the theft of a Van Gogh and a Frans Hals
"
With these thefts, this man has not only caused enormous damage to museums, but also to society and the international public
," said the judgment statement of the district court of Lelystad.
"
They can no longer contemplate and appreciate the paintings,
" added the court.
The Van Gogh was stolen in March 2020 from the Singer Laren Museum in the Amsterdam region which was then closed to the public due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The museum is located ten kilometers from Baarn where the suspect was arrested.
The two young boys laughing
at the great master of the golden age of Dutch painting (17th century) Frans Hals had been stolen in August 2020 from the Hofje van Mevrouw van Aerden museum in Leerdam.
The police discovered at the two crime scenes the DNA of Nils M. The latter claimed to have nothing to do with the thefts and not to know where the paintings are.
DNA on both scenes of crile
“
The court doesn't believe it.
His DNA was found at the two crime scenes and the man was unable to explain how it was possible,
”said the court.
Dutch expert and detective Arthur Brand, nicknamed "
the Indiana Jones of the art world
", welcomed the sentence.
He said he hoped the paintings, which he also set out to search for, would be found soon.
"
We know in which circles they circulate, and it is enough for a person to make the right decision and come forward
," Arthur Brand told AFP.
