A British gangland boss has been found guilty of ordering the murder of teacher Gerard Meesters in Groningen in 2002 and jailed for life.

Robert Dawes, who denied the charges, is currently serving 22 years in a French jail for cocaine smuggling. He was jailed there in 2018.

Gerard Meesters, 52, was shot eight times on the doorstep of his home by an English gunman who was hunting his estranged sister. Dawes suspected she had stolen hashish from him in Spain.

“This was the cold-blooded killing of a completely innocent victim,” the court said in its verdict. It was a “ruthless, unhinged murder”.

The killer, Daniel Sowerby, was jailed for life in the Netherlands in 2006.

At the moment life prisoners in the Netherlands become eligible for parole after 25 years when they can take their case to a special panel that assesses their behaviour and development in prison, the risk of reoffending and the impact their release could have on victims and their relatives.

However, the final say rests with the minister for legal protection. Moves are being made to change this to remove the risk of political influence.