Netherlands’ most notorious gangster, Willem Holleeder popularly known as ‘The Nose’ has been jailed for life for ordering five murders.

The murder trial of the 61-year-old Holleeder over a spate of killings in the 2000s had been running since 2015, the longest in Dutch history, amid huge interest from across the world.

Holleeder was previously known for his conviction in the 1983 kidnapping of beer tycoon, Freddy Heineken who was held for three weeks until a $17 million ransom was paid for his release. Eight million of that ransom was however not recovered.

Holleeder had insisted he was innocent of a number of charges related to the gangland killings, including incitement of the murders and membership of a criminal organization.

Delivering the verdict, judge Frank Wieland told Holleeder: “You’re guilty of inciting five murders, liquidations, committed to order by an organized gang, for large amounts of money.”

Judge Wieland said Holleeder had been the kingpin in a criminal organization, adding: “You think you have the right to decide matters of life and death with indifference and you have no conscience.”

Following the pronouncements, family members of Holleeder’s victims cheered and applauded in the courtroom.

Lawyers for the defendant, who was nicknamed ‘The Nose’ by Dutch media said Holleeder was the victim of his criminal reputation and he will appeal against the verdicts.

Holleeder’s victims included his brother-in-law, Cor van Hout, one of his co-conspirators in the Heineken kidnapping who was killed in 2003, businessman, Willem Endstra and his family friend, Thomas van der Bijl.

Mr. Endstra, a real estate magnate was killed in 2004 after it emerged he had been giving the Dutch Police information about Holleeder. Holleeder was convicted and sentenced to nine years in 2007 for extorting Mr. Endstra.

A breakthrough in the trial came when the court heard secret recordings made by Holleeder’s sisters, Sonja and Astrid in which he threatened to kill Sonja and her children.

Holleeder was caught in France and eventually convicted and imprisoned in the Netherlands until 1992. Until his 2006 arrest in the extortion case, he invested in brothels and sex clubs.