Irish woman arrested after body found gagged and wrapped in tape on Amsterdam street

Sunday World

27-04-2025

Torture fears as victim found gagged and wrapped in tape
AN Irish woman is one of four people remanded in custody in the Netherlands in connection with the brutal murder of a man found gagged and wrapped in tape on the street.
The body of 50-year-old Jair Romer was discovered at the beginning of the year in Transvaalbuurt, Amsterdam.
Police believe he had been kidnapped, held and abused for up to a week and then his body dumped.
When discovered, his ankles and hands were tied with black tape and his mouth was gagged with a piece of rope.
At a court sitting earlier this week, an Irish woman, identified only as Sinead C, was one of four suspects to appear before a judge as criminal case proceedings into his murder got underway.
According to the judiciary, Romer was taken hostage and abused several days before his body was found.
The court heard the motive, location and method of Römer's death is unclear.
Details of hostile text messages sent by one of the accused to the deceased's phone were read into evidence during the hearing.
'Listen, I know what you're doing, but you're f**king up in my stuff. I'll give you time to change that address. That won't be a week's work, otherwise you'll end up in the wrong book,' read one of the messages sent to him by an accused.
The court heard this showed there was a conflict between the suspects and Jaïr Römer.
Body was dumped on street in Amsterdam
Although the investigation does not yet show who is responsible for the man's death, according to the public prosecutor it is clear who was directly involved.
The hostage-taking and the abuse must have started more than a week before the body was found at the President Steynplantsoen, the court heard.
Romer was picked up on January 4 at his home in Amsterdam and taken to the squat of Mark H. (55) in Lieren in Gelderland.
'There, his phone goes off the air, he is tied up with tape and rope and violent events take place,' said the public prosecutor.
'This would be apparent, among other things, from messages from H.'s girlfriend. She writes about an intense evening and that she is 'in shock'.'
The court heard the woman has made several statements to the police that the public prosecutor attaches great importance to.
The lawyer of co-suspect, Nikita H., called these statements 'ridiculous' and claimed that the woman was mentally disturbed.
He claimed she was heavily intoxicated during interrogations with the police and would even have drunk a glass of vodka with soft drinks in one of those conversations.
According to the Public Prosecution Service, Jaïr was no longer physically free after his visit to the building in Lieren.
It's alleged he left with the Irish woman Sinead C. and Alfred B. and travelled to a houseboat on the Ranonkelkade in Noord.
It's alleged he likely arrived there without pants, his ankles and hands tied and wrapped in a brown blanket.
A duvet with the victim's blood was later found on the houseboat, something from which the judiciary concludes that the violence against him took place on the boat or before.
What happened to Römer after that remains unclear, the hearing was informed.
The Public Prosecution Service stated that the man's body was later dumped in front of the home of Alfred B.'s brother.
When the discovery was made, he was the one who called in the police.
The public prosecutor described Romer's killing as 'a gruesome murder case in which the group of suspects knew each other and everyone had their own role.'
All four suspects have claimed they had nothing to do with Romer's death.
Counsel for Sinead C., Adem Çatbas, described the case against his client as a 'messy file.'
'The only thing that puts the client in this case is her location. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time,' he said.
Alfred B.'s lawyer, who, according to the judiciary, put the lifeless body in front of his brother's door, stated that there is no evidence towards B.
Mark H. also said he was not involved and Nikita H. says he cannot remember anything due to excessive use of ketamine.
The court decided earlier this week that all four suspects will be detained longer and witnesses may be heard.
The case will continue on July 10.