A convicted murderer who claimed he was tricked into confessing to an undercover police officer has had his sentence extended by two years.

The appeal court in Den Bosch dismissed the appeal by Wim S. against his conviction for the murder of his girlfriend, Heidy Goedhardt, at her home in Kaatsheuvel in December 2010. The court also said the original jail term of 18 years was insufficient in view of the ‘cold-blooded and cowardly’ nature of the killing.

S., 42, was originally acquitted of murder because of a lack of evidence, but in 2013 police mounted an undercover operation to win his trust. An officer who introduced himself to S. as Joep spent a year cultivating his friendship and offering him work with a security company.

‘Joep’ arranged for S. to go for an interview with his supposed employer, who was based in the Spanish resort of Marbella. During the interview the ‘boss’ hinted he knew about the murder but was prepared to overlook it.

S. denied being involved, but while travelling by taxi back to the airport he made a full confession to Joep.

The court said S. had killed 34-year-old Goedhardt with a brick before staging a break-in in an attempt to cover up his actions. Judges said he had begun a relationship with another woman and wanted to avoid the problems that a break-up would have caused.