Man lives for free in elderly woman’s villa, but locks away tons of money behind her back as a ‘thank you’

The man had rented a house from the woman for several years. In 2016, he decided to move in with her with his two sons. But the man not only paid no rent, he also transferred tons to his own account between 2015 and 2021.

For example, the Arnhemmer has transferred 71,975 euros to himself to pay off his credit card. In addition, he transferred no less than 22,000 euros to his ex-partner’s account, and spent more than a ton on cars. He has also paid more than 20,000 rents in Belgium.

In addition to the above money flows, the suspect deposited a total of 98,920 euros in cash into his private account between 2016 and 2020. It is not clear what the origin of this money is.

The suspect had the woman’s bank card, its code and internet banking information. But he claims that the woman herself made all the transfers. The woman, who previously kept accurate records of every receipt, giro slip and all invoices, has stated several times that she knew nothing about it.

Control and isolation

The man dropped out because the family started to worry in 2019 and made a number of reports. According to the family, she was probably not doing well, both personally and financially. There could also be control and isolation.

In April last year, the police searched the detached villa in Neede. The woman turned out to have only a small room and utility room in her own home. The suspect was arrested that day.

In the period after the arrest of the suspect, the woman was declared incompetent by a doctor. She is now living in a nursing home.

“The suspect has appropriated large sums of money for years. He has always put the financial gain of him and his people first,” said the public prosecutor. Moreover, the suspect has “no insight into the evil of his actions and does not take any responsibility for this.”