The main hearings in the trial of two men for the murder of lawyer Derk Wiersum in 2019 start on Monday at the high security court near Schiphol airport.

Giërmo B (37) is suspected of driving the white van used as a getaway car and Moreno B (32) is said to have pulled the trigger on Wiersum outside his house in Amsterdam on September 18.

Wiersum was acting for Nabil B, a key witness in a major drugs and murder trial revolving around gang leader Ridouan Taghi, when he was killed.

Peter R de Vries, the crime journalist shot last Tuesday evening, is currently acting as B’s confidant and it has been suggested the two cases are connected, although Taghi’s lawyer has denied any involvement.

The killing of Wiersum was described at the time as a ‘new, dark phase’ in the increasingly deadly underworld drug wars and prompted justice minister Ferd Grapperhaus to pledge tough new measures against drug criminals.

Five days have been set aside for the hearings.