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🇧🇪 Belgium /Crime & Justice

Two 19-year-olds get up to 5 years for shocking assault at Essen station

From VRT NWS · () Dutch

Translated from Dutch, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • Two 19-year-olds received prison sentences of five and three years for severely assaulting a man at Essen station.
  • The attack, which included blows with a trolley suitcase and electric shocks from a stun gun, occurred after a trivial argument.
  • The judge emphasized the unacceptable nature of the violence, noting that the perpetrators were undeterred by surveillance cameras and that community safety was impacted.

Two 19-year-olds have been sentenced to five and three years in prison for a brutal assault on a man at Essen station. The incident, which occurred in April, began with a minor disagreement when the victim asked one of the youths to calm down.

He did that with so much force that the handle of the suitcase broke. The victim slammed his head against the chair and fell to the ground.

— prosecutordescribing the severity of the trolley suitcase attack

The attackers then followed the man into the waiting room. Security footage showed one youth striking the victim on the head with a trolley suitcase, causing the handle to break and the man to fall. The assailant then kicked the victim repeatedly. The second youth then used a stun gun on the victim's neck, delivering multiple electric shocks.

The accused inflicted multiple electric shocks on him, as several flashes can be seen on the camera footage.

— prosecutordescribing the use of the stun gun

After the assault, one of the perpetrators stole the victim's cigarettes before they fled. Police apprehended them nearby. The victim was incapacitated for two weeks. Despite having no prior criminal records and being under youth court supervision, the judge deemed work sentences insufficient due to the brazenness of the crime, stating that such behavior erodes public safety.

This kind of situation erodes the general sense of security in our society.

— judgeexplaining the reasoning for the sentences
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by VRT NWS in Dutch. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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