A man who was jailed for life on Thursday for a double murder in 2006 has committed suicide in prison.

The man, named as Lau Geeraets, was found dead in his cell on Friday. The circumstances surrounding the suicide, at the high security prison in Vught, are still being investigated.

Geeraets was being held in Vught because he was considered to be a flight risk, despite his lawyer’s claims about the impact on his mental health.

His lawyer had already said he would appeal against the murder conviction. The case rested on a statement by another prisoner who told officials Geeraets had confessed the crime to him.

The two victims had broken into a warehouse used by Geeraets to grow marijuana. They were caught and shot dead with a bullet to the head. Their bodies were later buried.

A second man was yesterday jailed for 30 years for his role in the killing.