Family assaulted in Mons after birthday celebration: four defendants before the court
On 11 October 2025, a family was violently attacked in Mons by four men from Houdeng-Goegnies. The father, 66 years old, still suffers from facial fractures.
Unprovoked assault in Mons: a 66-year-old father still bearing the scars of the beating
On 11 October 2025, a family leaves the town centre of Mons after an evening birthday celebration. A few moments later, four men from Houdeng-Goegnies target them. The father, 66 years old, is knocked to the ground and then struck on the head twice. His son is struck before he even has a chance to react. The matter was heard this week before the Mons correctional court.
DHnet reported that the advocate for the civil parties, Maître Ambre Biefnot, described violence with no apparent motive. "Without the slightest reason, they looked for someone to beat and they chose my clients," she stated at the hearing. She specified that one of the sons has a heart condition and feared for his life, whilst the father "was thrown to the ground before being struck on the head as if kicking a penalty, on two occasions".
The 66-year-old man still presents today with multiple facial fractures.
The mother speaks up
The mother of the family spoke before the court, visibly moved. "I am very angry. Nothing justified such relentless violence. Since that night, our life has changed. My husband struggles every day to rebuild himself and my health has also suffered," she stated. She added that the couple's strength lies in the fact they remained united after forty-three years of marriage.
The victims say they have lost the taste for going out since the assault. They have not left their home in the evening since that October night.
Four defendants acknowledge the facts
Before the court, the four defendants all acknowledged their responsibility and offered their apologies. One of them explained that he was not accustomed to drinking. Another, presented as being at the origin of the brawl, declared: "I lost my mind without knowing why." His father, also a defendant, expressed his regrets: "We had gone out to celebrate. I did not want it to end like this." The fourth concluded simply: "I apologise. This should never have happened like this."
The public prosecutor relies on images from an urban camera which filmed the scene. The substitute highlighted that the victims did not strike any blows and were not seeking to defend themselves, whilst the suspects approached from behind.
Differentiated sentences according to the new penal code
The prosecution applies the new penal code and individualises responsibilities. Paradoxically, the one who triggered the brawl faces the lightest sanction: prosecuted for simple assault, he risks a level 1 sentence, without imprisonment, and the prosecution proposes a work sentence. Maître Arnaud Lebas requested autonomous probation for him, citing medical treatment incompatible with alcohol which would have made him particularly aggressive.
The three other defendants face assault and battery charges resulting in incapacity for work. The prosecution demands two sentences of 30 months in prison with suspension and one sentence of two years with suspension.
Maître Fabrice Guttadauria, who defends the father and son among the defendants, pleads for a simple fine for the father and a work sentence for the son. He described their behaviour as "shameful", attributing their actions to a "level of stupidity" brought on by alcohol.
An unusual moment with the footage
The hearing experienced an unusual moment when Maître Guttadauria projected the urban camera footage onto his mobile telephone to contest the existence of a second blow struck by his client. Maître Biefnot took out her own smartphone to show him the sequence. The two advocates analysed the images side by side before the court for several minutes. Maître Guttadauria eventually acknowledged his error: "A body does indeed mask the second blow. I had not seen it."
The judgment has not yet been delivered.
Source: DHnet