Police officer's defence in Ouassim-Sabrina case: "He acted like any diligent public servant"
The lawyer of a police officer tried for involuntary manslaughter has called for his acquittal, arguing that he acted normally during the intervention on 9 May 2017 in Brussels.
Police officer's defence in Ouassim-Sabrina case: "He acted like any diligent public servant"
On Thursday, lawyers representing a police officer called for his acquittal before the Walloon Brabant district court. The man is on trial for involuntary manslaughter following a tragedy on 9 May 2017 in the centre of Brussels, where two young motorcycle riders lost their lives at the end of a pursuit.
The accident occurred at the exit of a tunnel on Avenue Louise. The officer's vehicle was stationary in the right lane, with hazard lights flashing. According to experts, it was visible from a distance of 200 metres. The left lane remained clear, as did the exit slip road. The motorcycle was travelling at 140 km/h.
According to the defence team, the rider had several options: to slow down or move to the left. He did neither. "Perhaps he was seeking once again to evade the forces of order, as he had done during the pursuit, by going around the van and taking the exit to change direction," the lawyer suggested. The scooter ultimately crashed into the defendant's Volkswagen van.
"Our client simply carried out his mission. By positioning his vehicle at this location so that it would be visible, he behaved like any normally attentive and conscientious public servant," she argued. "He cannot be held responsible for a death by negligence."
The public prosecutor had already filed a motion for no case to answer some two weeks ago. Initially, three officers were targeted; only one is still appearing in court. The supreme court had previously ruled that no criminal negligence by this man could be established as directly causative of the accident.
In the event the absence-of-fault theory is rejected, the defence team pleaded prescription, given that the facts date back nearly nine years. They requested a symbolic conviction or a suspended sentence.
For the relatives of the victims, the failings of the scooter rider are not denied. However, they denounce the lack of judgment by the forces of order, who knew that a teenager was present as a passenger behind the rider. A support group gathered outside the judicial offices in Nivelles at the beginning and end of the hearing.
The magistrate will deliberate and communicate his decision on 26 August.
Source: DHnet