Boer denies arson attacks on his own company: ‘I was threatened’ | Inland

After the fifth fire, the fourth on his farm in Werkhoven, the police were convinced that Gert S. was behind the fires himself. He was always in the area just before the fire broke out and has also been seen on CCTV footage. He was arrested a day after the fire at the end of 2018, but released due to lack of evidence.

S. left the farm that had now completely burned down and moved to a house in nearby ‘t Goy, where flames broke out again in June 2019. Again S. was arrested. This time he was in custody for six months.

The farmer continues to insist that he has nothing to do with the fires. “During that period I myself was threatened three times, but the police did nothing about it. They thought it was a little too exciting for boys.” Gert S. told regional media in 2018 that the threats were related to the fact that he had come out as a homosexual and had been separated from his wife. He also suggested Wednesday morning that his associate Marek, who also slept on the property, may have started the fires. “It wasn’t me, so if it couldn’t have been anyone from outside…”

Gert S. (38) is also on trial for theft, fraud and money laundering of more than a million euros. The fires and fraud are said to be related to the poor financial situation of his farms. The farmer would have received half a million euros from an investor for animal feed, but he had already partly spent that money on a new home. He himself says that he did transfer some of the money to third parties to buy hay and straw, but that money disappeared, according to S. His company subsequently went bankrupt. “In retrospect, not a convenient way of doing business, but everything can be found in the books open and naked,” said S. on Wednesday.

On Thursday, S. will hear what punishment the Public Prosecution Service demands against him.

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