The two neighbors sit next to each other on the Market in Gavere. — © rr
GAVERE –
The Italian neighbors with whom Juwelier Dekens has been at odds for years were acquitted on Friday. The argument did not end in court for the first time, but two completely different stories were told there. It was not clear to the judge what happened.
The court did not paint a nice picture of the relationship between Juwelier Dekens on the Markt in Gavere and its Italian neighbors at restaurant Il Tempio. The two have not been getting along for nine years. And that’s putting it mildly. The bullying goes far.
Lawyer Sarah Roobroeck represented the owners of the jewelry store, both in their seventies, in court. She talked about loud music, spraying windows with the garden hose, urine in the entrance hall or a severed pig’s head at the front door. Bullying that appeals to the imagination.
The couple told the court that the situation has been untenable for a long time. “Our grandchildren cannot come and sleep here because of the noise from the neighbors,” they said. “Let alone that they can come and study here.”
“Spying and filming”
The Italian neighbors experience this differently. A completely different story was told on the other side. They were assisted by lawyer Kris Vincke. He said that his clients only came to Gavere because they wanted to further expand their restaurant.
“The jewelers made it difficult for them from the start,” Vincke said. “They constantly watch and film my clients, which also causes their clients to walk away. They say they are not quarrelsome, but a survey on the Market would show that they get along with few other neighbors. They cannot bear anything.”
Doubt
It was not the first time that the years-long dispute has come to court. The Italian couple has already been convicted of harassment. After a long legal procedure, the court of appeal decided to give them a suspended prison sentence of seven months.
On Friday, the court decided to acquit the Italians for the latest complications in the ongoing neighbor dispute because there is too much doubt. There are two camps that told a contradictory story, which means that there are still many uncertainties.