Father of six children tried in Mons for serious violence against his family in Cuesmes
A father is appearing before the Mons correctional court for physical and psychological violence against his wife and children. The public prosecution is seeking five years in prison with probationary suspension.
Burned feet and shaved hair: father tried for family violence in Cuesmes
A father of six children appeared before the Mons correctional court for alleged facts of physical and psychological violence committed against his wife and several of his children. According to DHnet, the public prosecution is seeking a sentence of five years in prison with probationary suspension.
Testimony gathered from the victims presents a particularly dark picture. One child was allegedly tied to a wooden plank before his father burned his feet using a heated knife. Another claims to have undergone an imposed haircut in a crude manner, for purposes of humiliation. A third mentions threats of defenestration, whilst a fourth denounces the use of a taser — a weapon of this type was indeed discovered during a search of the home.
The defendant's wife was also reportedly the target of repeated threats. "Either I send you to hospital, or you end up on the street," her husband allegedly told her on several occasions.
The defendant, of Moroccan origin, is being prosecuted for inhuman and degrading treatment, assault, threats, harassment and possession of weapons. He contests most of the facts alleged against him and invoked "cultural differences" regarding education at the hearing. His solicitor, Me Godeau, asked the court to take into account his client's background, having himself been raised in an environment marked by paternal violence.
First alerts in July 2024
The family arrived in Europe in the early 2000s. After staying in Spain and then France, they settled in Cuesmes, in the municipality of Mons, in 2022.
The first concerns date back to July 2024, when police intervene following the disappearance of one of the couple's daughters. The teenager is found wearing a wig; according to the investigation, her father had cut her hair crudely shortly before.
On 26 January 2025, this same young girl contacted police services to report the violence exerted by her father on family members. "When the patrol arrives at the scene, the mother and children are frightened. The mother declares herself to be a victim of physical and psychological abuse. As for the father, he remains very calm at the moment of being deprived of liberty," reported the deputy public prosecutor during the hearing.
Photographs and videos handed to investigators
The investigation triggered following this intervention made it possible to gather statements from several children. One of them handed photographs and videos to the investigators. The public prosecution considers these elements as material evidence supporting the accusations.
Investigations carried out in the school environment also revealed that several children cried regularly at school. Only one, however, reportedly confided to school staff the violence he said he was suffering at his home.
The defendant was subject to a mental health assessment. The experts describe a man with a tendency to overestimate himself and holding a particularly critical view of the evolution of society, which he perceives as being in decline on an educational level. They also emphasise his dangerousness and mention a significant risk of reoffence.
The defence pleads for suspension of sentence
For the public prosecution, all the elements gathered justify a conviction to five years in prison with probationary suspension. The defence, for its part, is seeking a probationary suspension of sentence. Me Godeau recalled that his client has no criminal record in Belgium, that he works as a lorry driver and that his own education was marked by the violence of his own father.
Since the events, the wife and children reportedly left Belgium to return to live in Spain. The defendant, for his part, would like to return to Morocco.
The court has taken the case under advisement. The judgment is expected in mid-November.
Source: DHnet