Palace of Justice Brussels. — © Chris Verhaeghe
Asse –
A man in his forties who lured a 13-year-old girl to his home and raped her there has been sentenced to seven years in prison by the criminal court. It is already the third time that the man was tried for similar facts. The past two times he got away with a suspended sentence each time.
Friday, March 29, 2024 at 3:02 PM
The man had pretended to be in his twenties on social media and thus contacted a 13-year-old girl from Asse. The man convinced the girl to skip school, after which he picked her up on May 9, 2023, shortly after her mother dropped the child off at the school gate.
Once she got home, the mother noticed via the Family Link application on her smartphone that her daughter was not at school. Shortly afterwards, a message followed from the school to report the girl’s absence. The child’s father then checked his daughter’s mobile phone details, which showed that there was a lot of contact with one particular telephone number.
The police and public prosecutor’s office were immediately alerted, because the mobile number turned out to be linked to a man in his forties who had already been convicted twice for the sexual abuse of children. For example, in 2011 the man was sentenced in Bruges to 1 year in prison with probation for the rape of a minor and for possessing images of child sexual abuse. In 2018, he was convicted again for similar offenses in Hasselt, where he received a two-year prison sentence with probation.
The 13-year-old girl could eventually be located in Péruwelz, Wallonia, where the suspect lived. Shortly afterwards, the man was pinned down by police on the motorway, with the child in the passenger seat. It turned out that the victim had already been raped.
The court was strict with the defendant, who was not granted a favorable measure this time. “The suspect has already been given the opportunity to draw up a treatment plan twice in the past,” the verdict said. “The fact that he did not do so shows his lack of awareness of guilt.”
Precarious situation
“The defendant’s actions are deeply reprehensible and he poses a risk to public safety. He took a perverse approach by impersonating a 28-year-old man on social media to gain the trust of a young girl who found herself in a precarious situation. The defendant was also only after his own sexual satisfaction.”
The court ultimately sentenced the man to seven years in prison, with an additional remand to the sentencing court for a period of five years. “Imposing probation conditions makes no sense whatsoever,” the court said.