Hannut: convicted of violence against his ex-sister-in-law, he contests and demands acquittal
A man from Amay, convicted of 14 months in prison for striking his brother's ex-girlfriend, denies the charges. He claims he was himself knocked to the ground during the altercation.
Altercation in Hannut: two conflicting accounts before the court
Convicted of 14 months in prison for violence committed against his ex-sister-in-law, a resident of Amay has contested this judgment. DHnet reports that the incident took place during an evening in April 2023, in the bar belonging to the cousins of the two brothers, in Hannut.
That evening, the younger brother of the defendant encountered his former girlfriend in the neighbourhood, with whom he is in the process of separating. The conversation quickly escalated. The man from Amay claims to have seen, from a distance, the young woman slap his brother before he intervened.
"There were a few guys around them, I went over to separate my brother and his girlfriend and I woke up a quarter of an hour later, on the ground with a bloody nose," declares the defendant, who says he has no memory of the incident. He also questions the coherence of the accusations against him: "She says I hit her in the face when she didn't have a single mark, just a wound on the back of her head. I've been working in construction for 20 years, I have strength and if I'd hit her, it would have shown."
According to him, it was one of the boys present who struck him, causing him to fall to the ground. After the altercation, he was taken to the emergency department, notably for neck pain, and had to wear a neck brace for several days.
His lawyer is demanding acquittal as the primary claim. "My client formally contests the facts from day one. Certain testimonies, including from people who weren't even there, are in my view to be taken with a pinch of salt. All the more so since one lady says she saw the young woman fall on her own," he emphasises.
The substitute prosecutor for the king for her part defends an opposing position. "There are consistent and detailed versions from three friends of the victim and a total incapacity of 14 days," she argues. She sought a work sentence of 120 hours against the defendant, considering that he did strike his ex-sister-in-law.
The court must now decide between these two radically opposed accounts.
Source: DHnet