Fresh theft at Charleroi-Central station: Imad retried following recent conviction
A man already convicted last month for a similar theft at Charleroi is once again appearing in court for two thefts committed in March and April at the central station.
Two thefts within weeks at Charleroi-Central station
A man named Imad, convicted last month to fifteen months' suspended prison sentence for a similar theft committed in early March at Charleroi-Central station, finds himself back before the Charleroi courts. DHnet reports that he is this time being prosecuted for two further offences committed in the same area, within days of one another.
The first incident dates back to 17 March. As a person stood on platform number one of the station, their iPhone 14 Pro Max was stolen by an individual positioned immediately behind them. "The victim subsequently asked another traveller to dial their mobile number, but the device was already switched off," the prosecutor's office stated. Imad was recognised in CCTV footage, though he did not recall the incident.
The second theft occurred on 1 April. A foot patrol was approached by a victim who explained she had been slapped before pushing her attacker away. She then discovered the disappearance of her gold chain. Surveillance camera footage confirmed the snatch theft and showed two accomplices alongside Imad. The jewel is said to have been thrown away after the incident. The two co-perpetrators identified, Abdou and Nadir, were acquitted following their questioning.
Before the judge on Thursday afternoon, Imad did not contest the two thefts. Regarding the chain snatching, he claimed "not to have been in his normal state" due to medication consumption. The prosecutor's office requested three years' imprisonment against him.
His two friends, tried in absentia for their "secondary role" in the jewel theft, face respectively one year and eighteen months' imprisonment. Imad's solicitor pleaded for a fresh suspended sentence. The verdict is expected within two weeks.
Snatch thefts, particularly of gold jewellery, are frequent in Charleroi town centre, where drug trafficking also constitutes a recurring problem according to local authorities.
Source: DHnet