Butcher, 68, again sentenced to five years for killing former son-in-law

A 68-year-old butcher from Ham has again received a five-year prison sentence for fatally stabbing his former son-in-law, after an appeals court rejected his claim of lawful self-defense.

The confrontation took place at the butcher’s front door on Sunday, October 30, 2022. The former son-in-law, from Olen, had previously been subject to a contact ban but went to the house because he wanted to retrieve his pellet stove. He arrived by bicycle carrying a stick.

The argument escalated, and the butcher stabbed him with a 29-centimeter filleting knife that had been lying on a radiator. The two men had a history of tensions following the breakdown of the younger man’s relationship with the butcher’s daughter.

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He stood with a club at the door and had previously received a six-month contact ban. He did not come by for a chat.

The butcher appealed his original conviction, arguing that he had acted in self-defense because the victim stood outside with a club and had previously received a six-month contact ban. The appeals court rejected that argument. It found that the defendant had been safe behind a door, yet chose to open it. The house also had an alarm system.

The court upheld the five-year sentence imposed in May 2025 and ordered the defendant to pay the civil parties more than €66,000. Philip Daeninck, the civil parties’ lawyer, welcomed the decision, saying they were relieved that the court had found intentional killing with premeditation rather than lawful self-defense.

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We are mainly relieved that the court found intentional killing with premeditation. There was therefore no lawful self-defense, as the defense had argued.