Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Setting Wife on Fire

A court in Tongeren, Belgium, has sentenced a 43-year-old Afghan man to 10 years in prison for the brutal attack on his wife three years ago. The man, who was addicted to cocaine, subjected his wife and their four children to regular violence, fueled by extreme suspicion and jealousy. He harbored a persistent belief that his wife was having affairs, leading to frequent assaults.

The attack occurred on August 31, 2023, during a heated argument in the presence of their minor son. The man doused his wife with fuel and set her on fire. In a further act of violence, he had prepared gas cylinders in the kitchen, intending to blow up the house. Miraculously, the severely burned woman managed to escape the house and attempt to extinguish the flames.

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The woman called 112 herself and the neighbors also did not intervene.

Despite her desperate plea for help by calling emergency services (112), and neighbors witnessing the event, no immediate intervention came from them. The perpetrator eventually drove his wife to the hospital, only to abandon her there. Hospital staff and neighbors alerted the police, leading to the man's arrest.

During police questioning, the man initially fabricated a story, claiming his wife had accidentally caught fire from a gas stove flare-up. He later changed his account, alleging she had poured fuel on herself and set herself alight. Throughout the trial, he continued to deny any involvement in the attack. The victim sustained severe burns to her chest, hands, and face, requiring multiple surgeries and leaving her with permanent scars. Her lawyer stated that the man had inflicted deep emotional wounds, telling her she would never remarry while he planned to return to Afghanistan to marry a 14-year-old girl.

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She looked death in the eye that day. He struck her in her womanhood and ultimately achieved what he wanted.