Martin Kok | |
---|---|
Born |
Edam, Netherlands | 25 June 1967
Died | 8 December 2016
Laren, Netherlands | (aged 49)
Martin Kok (25 June 1967 – 8 December 2016) was a Dutch criminal turned blogger. [1]
He grew up in Volendam and as a teenager sold eels along with his father and brother, dressed in traditional Volendammer garb of red shirt, baggy black pants, and clogs. [1] He didn't enjoy it, but started selling eels in bars frequented by criminals and then moved into cocaine dealing. [1] He was nicknamed "the Stutterer" due to a speech disorder. [1]
In 1988 he shot at and missed a former schoolmate who had cut into his business. [1] Several months later he fought with a rival, hitting him with a barstool. [1] The rival died of his injuries the following day and Kok was sentenced to five years in prison. [1] During this imprisonment he befriended Willem Holleeder, who was in prison for the kidnapping of Freddy Heineken. [1] He also befriended Cor van Hout, an accomplice of Holleeder in the kidnapping. [1]
On release from prison he murdered the boyfriend of a former partner. [1] He also expanded his business into prostitution. [1]
He started a crime blog called "Vlinderscrime" ( vlinder being the Dutch word for " butterfly") in February 2015. [1] He had many contacts in the criminal world, both in and outside of jail. [1] He reported on criminals from many backgrounds, often giving full names, instead of the Dutch media tradition of given name and initial. [1]
He enjoyed his newfound fame and would often taunt other criminals. [1] He was sponsored by and ran adverts for MPC, a company that provided encrypted phones to criminals. [2]
Someone tried to shoot him while he was at home in 2015 but failed, leaving bullet holes in his car. [1] In 2016 an explosive device was found under his car. [1]
On 8 December 2016 he was walking with another man in Amsterdam when CCTV showed someone running up behind him outside the Citizen M hotel and pointing a gun at him. [1] [3] It is not clear if the gun jammed or if the shooter lost nerve. [1] The target seemed to be unaware of the attempt on his life. [1] Later that evening, outside a sex club in Laren, a second attempt was made, which succeeded. [1] [4] [3]
He was buried in Vredenhof Cemetery. [1]
The murder was linked to a Scottish criminal organisation by Scottish police who had investigated them via Operation Escalade. [3]
A European Arrest Warrant was issued for Christopher Hughes in relation to the murder. [5] He was faced with charges of concealing money and supplying encrypted devices to others (including Kok), a second charge relating to the supply of cocaine and a final charge in relation to the murder of Kok. [4] In April 2022 Hughes was convicted at the High Court in Stirling, Scotland and jailed for at least 25 years. [6]
Martin Kok | |
---|---|
Born |
Edam, Netherlands | 25 June 1967
Died | 8 December 2016
Laren, Netherlands | (aged 49)
Martin Kok (25 June 1967 – 8 December 2016) was a Dutch criminal turned blogger. [1]
He grew up in Volendam and as a teenager sold eels along with his father and brother, dressed in traditional Volendammer garb of red shirt, baggy black pants, and clogs. [1] He didn't enjoy it, but started selling eels in bars frequented by criminals and then moved into cocaine dealing. [1] He was nicknamed "the Stutterer" due to a speech disorder. [1]
In 1988 he shot at and missed a former schoolmate who had cut into his business. [1] Several months later he fought with a rival, hitting him with a barstool. [1] The rival died of his injuries the following day and Kok was sentenced to five years in prison. [1] During this imprisonment he befriended Willem Holleeder, who was in prison for the kidnapping of Freddy Heineken. [1] He also befriended Cor van Hout, an accomplice of Holleeder in the kidnapping. [1]
On release from prison he murdered the boyfriend of a former partner. [1] He also expanded his business into prostitution. [1]
He started a crime blog called "Vlinderscrime" ( vlinder being the Dutch word for " butterfly") in February 2015. [1] He had many contacts in the criminal world, both in and outside of jail. [1] He reported on criminals from many backgrounds, often giving full names, instead of the Dutch media tradition of given name and initial. [1]
He enjoyed his newfound fame and would often taunt other criminals. [1] He was sponsored by and ran adverts for MPC, a company that provided encrypted phones to criminals. [2]
Someone tried to shoot him while he was at home in 2015 but failed, leaving bullet holes in his car. [1] In 2016 an explosive device was found under his car. [1]
On 8 December 2016 he was walking with another man in Amsterdam when CCTV showed someone running up behind him outside the Citizen M hotel and pointing a gun at him. [1] [3] It is not clear if the gun jammed or if the shooter lost nerve. [1] The target seemed to be unaware of the attempt on his life. [1] Later that evening, outside a sex club in Laren, a second attempt was made, which succeeded. [1] [4] [3]
He was buried in Vredenhof Cemetery. [1]
The murder was linked to a Scottish criminal organisation by Scottish police who had investigated them via Operation Escalade. [3]
A European Arrest Warrant was issued for Christopher Hughes in relation to the murder. [5] He was faced with charges of concealing money and supplying encrypted devices to others (including Kok), a second charge relating to the supply of cocaine and a final charge in relation to the murder of Kok. [4] In April 2022 Hughes was convicted at the High Court in Stirling, Scotland and jailed for at least 25 years. [6]