Dutch tomb raiders receive prison terms

updated 6:52 a.m. ET Dec. 8, 2008

THE HAGUE, Netherlands - A Dutch court said Monday that two men were guilty of grave robbery and should each serve 18 months in prison for stealing a gold watch and chain from a man's corpse.

Arnhem District Court said the robbers broke into a gold dealer's tomb by shoving aside a concrete door and pulling the lid off his coffin on Aug. 15, 2007, in the central town of Renkum.

It said the robbers grabbed the dead man's watch and chain before fleeing without replacing the coffin lid. The dead man's widow and daughter discovered the theft the next day. It was not clear how long the man had been dead.

The court said Monday the robbers showed "a total lack of respect" for the dead man's family.

It did not identify the robbers or the dead man.

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