A former KPN employee has been convicted by the Arnhem District Court of fraud involving a company laptop. Using this computer, he ordered all kinds of products, which he then had delivered to the homes of various cat catchers. The judge imposed a suspended prison sentence of nine months and 240 hours of community service. This appears from the verdict of the District Court of Arnhem.
A 30-year-old man from Apeldoorn stole a laptop from his employer KPN. He then stole his colleagues' login credentials and was able to log in to the provider's internal network unnoticed. He then placed hundreds of orders. The verdict states that these included 1,724 boxes of wireless connection sets, 710 boxes of IPTV packages, 730 boxes of WiFi amplifiers, 75 units of installation wire and 25 welding clamps.
The suspect had these products delivered not to his home, but to so-called cat catchers. These are people who, in this case, offer their address to have products delivered. In exchange, they receive a share of the proceeds. The main suspect did this between June 2017 and March 2018.
The court finds lawfully and convincingly proven that the man from Apeldoorn was guilty of swindling and computer hacking during this period. This also applies to the theft of the laptop of his former employer, KPN. The judge found that the suspect was sophisticated in his actions.
"Defendant placed his own monetary gain above all else. By his actions, defendant caused serious harm to his former employer. The defendant apparently allowed himself to be led by wanting to earn money quickly, easily and illegally. These are serious facts," the verdict reads.
In determining the amount of the sentence, the court considered whether there were circumstances to impose a lighter or heavier sentence. And there were, according to the court. For example, he reached a settlement with KPN and repaid a sum of 65,000 euros. In addition, the defendant voluntarily sought counseling. According to his therapist, the 30-year-old man successfully completed the program. Finally, through no fault of the defendant, it took more than one year to reach a verdict.
KPN, as an injured party, filed a claim for damages with the court. The court declared this claim inadmissible. Indeed, part of the damage had already been compensated by the insurance company. In addition, KPN received a substantial sum of money from the defendant.
All in all, the court found a suspended prison sentence of nine months to be appropriate. He does not have to serve this sentence, provided he does not re-offend for the same offense within the next two years. In addition, the court imposed 240 hours of community service. If he does not perform this properly, he must still spend 120 days in custody.
The prosecutor had demanded a 10-month unconditional prison sentence. The court did not go along with this because of mitigating circumstances.
