Prosecutor demands 17 years imprisonment for knife attack on mother-in-law in Geetbets
A man in his thirties from Aarschot faces seventeen years in prison after allegedly wounding his mother-in-law dozens of times with a knife. The victim survived the violent assault.
Prosecutor demands 17 years imprisonment for knife attack on mother-in-law in Geetbets
On 2 June, a 31-year-old resident of Aarschot had to appear before a judge to answer for an extremely violent attack on his mother-in-law in Geetbets. The prosecutor sought a sentence of seventeen years. The verdict will be delivered on Tuesday.
The suspect met his later ex-partner via a dating platform in autumn 2024. Their relationship was short-lived but intense. After just a few weeks, the man moved into her home. Within two months, the woman became pregnant.
However, the bond between the partners was far from stable. At one point, when the victim was heavily pregnant, serious threats were made against the woman. She subsequently decided to deny him access to her house.
After giving birth on 22 September, the young mother moved in with her newborn daughter at her mother's home in Geetbets. When the man learned of this, he set up camp in a green area behind the garden. From this hiding place, he kept a close watch on the house.
In the early morning hours of the day after he discovered the child had been born, he came outside fully dressed in black. He found his mother-in-law in the garden and first struck her in the head with a spade. He then produced a folding knife and entered the house.
Inside, he found his former partner who was preparing to breastfeed. Under threat of the weapon, he bound her to a seat and gagged her mouth with tape. He then returned outside where his mother-in-law lay.
The ex-partner heard screaming and tried to alert her mother, but the assailant did not respond. He stabbed the victim repeatedly, in total around fifty times. The injuries were located on the face, neck area, upper body, back and various internal organs. The victim balanced on the edge between life and death for several days and had to remain in hospital for two months, but survived.
Afterwards, the assailant had his ex-partner contact the police. An escape attempt failed: officers apprehended him quickly and he confessed to the facts. He allegedly told his ex that she was responsible for what happened to her mother.
Source: Het Belang van Limburg
Source: Het Belang van Limburg