Insurance fraud turns deadly in Diemen

David Swart, a 27-year-old philosophy student at the University of Amsterdam, died during the night of Tuesday 18 to Wednesday 19 July 2017 in an arson attack at a student apartment block on Rode Kruislaan in Diemen. The fire started in the early morning on the ground floor of the so-called purple tower, a fifteen-storey building where many students lived. Two men entered the building, set off a firebomb in the ground-floor apartment of Simona I. and quickly left. The fire spread through the building, and residents heard a loud bang, after which windows shattered on several floors. Many residents managed to escape, but not everyone was found in time. David Swart lived on the twelfth floor. He was only found by emergency services hours later, around 08:00, and had suffocated from the smoke. His girlfriend was found seriously injured and suffered severe brain damage from smoke inhalation; a third victim was also seriously injured. It later became clear that the fire had been started in order to claim insurance money. Simona I., the resident of the apartment where the fire began, had taken out contents insurance shortly before the fire and increased her coverage. She was not at home that night, and according to the court she directed the plan and intended to claim tens of thousands of euros after the fire. Her brother Gilermo I. and Rachied V. were regarded as the men who actually set the fire. Simona I. and Gilermo I. admitted their involvement; Rachied V. continued to deny involvement, but the court found that there was enough evidence against him. The Public Prosecution Service demanded prison sentences of 16, 17 and 18 years. On 15 February 2019, the Amsterdam District Court sentenced Simona I. to 16 years in prison, Rachied V. to 15 years and Gilermo I. to 14 years. The court held it strongly against the three that they had arranged for a fire to be started in the middle of the night in an occupied apartment block, knowingly taking the risk that residents could die or be seriously injured. David Swart’s death was therefore the result of an arson plot set up for financial gain, but it ended in a fatal disaster for him, his girlfriend and other residents of the building.