"That family shrinks at nothing"

FATHER AND BROTHER caught FIELD rider RISK 5 YEARS CELL FOR BIRD THEFT

Patricia Inghelbrecht (38), business manager of bird trade, the Gould Amandine in Varsenare, discovered yesterday morning in the newspapers that there is a link between the theft of two expensive parakeets in her shop and the incident around the motorized bicycle Femke Van den Driessche (19) on the cyclocross world championships. "I knew the name of two of the perpetrators and also learned that one of the two (Niels, ed.) Was a cyclo-cross rider who was suspended for doping," says Patricia. "I never made ​​the connection with the hoopla surrounding Femke Van den Driessche, to me this morning (yesterday morning, ed.) Read your newspaper."

Bird theft is dated 20 February 2015. That particular evening, three men from the case Patricia stepped on the Gistelsteenweg. "I remember that day vividly," says the woman. "Especially because the trio was extremely friendly. They walked around the store and watched all the birds carefully. I do not normally suspicious, but she kept ten minutes into the holes on the camera images."

Pictures on Facebook

When Patricia was a customer to operate, the thieves struck,. They opened the cage a couple as Lancashire parakeets, they put in bags and walked out. "They thanked me even more because they had briefly allowed to look around. I had nothing on. The parakeets were silent, because it was dark in the bags, and they thought it was night."

Unfortunately for the thieves Patricia had stood them on camera images. These images put women on Facebook. Through an anonymous tip, the police came out with Peter Van den Driessche (46), son Niels (22) and a friend of his. Peter and Niels Van den Driessche now prove family of field rider Femke. "It is clear that they shrink from nothing," says Patricia, who attached little credence to the explanation of the engine in the bike. "It's all that just happened a bike that looks like was placed on hers in the pit. Even with the theft here in the store they were very cool to work. The images you see how father Peter to look around the corner and the signal indicates his son and his friend to strike. "

This year the Van den Driessches will have to answer for the Bruges court for the bird theft. "There is still no specific date has been set," says Patricia.

Distrust

"We took meanwhile called a lawyer under his arm and will enable the civil plaintiff. The birds, which have a combined four hundred euros and are mainly used to grow, we have returned. Much worse is the suspicion that I've felt for a month to everyone who entered my shop. Those customers did not deserve this. " When the three thieves are convicted, they risk prison sentences of between one month and five years. The court may also impose fines of up to 3,000 euros.

SIEBENHAAR de Voogt / Source: © HLN