Seven years' imprisonment for Brussels football coach convicted of raping his ex-partner
An amateur football coach in Ixelles has been sentenced to seven years' imprisonment for sexually assaulting his former partner, whom he filmed during the attacks.
Seven years' imprisonment for Brussels football coach convicted of raping his ex-partner
The Brussels criminal court has handed down a sentence of seven years' incarceration against Ernesto G.D.C., an amateur sports instructor working in Ixelles. The judges of the 54th chamber found him guilty of particularly brutal sexual assaults committed against his former partner, who was represented by lawyer Pauline Galand.
The couple had formed a relationship in a therapeutic setting, whilst both were hospitalised at La Ramée clinic in Uccle for psychological issues and substance dependencies. The relationship quickly deteriorated into a toxic and violent partnership. The woman suffered forced touching, beatings and insults, all recorded by her partner on his mobile device.
Investigators found approximately ten clips depicting scenes of outrage, degradation and sexual assault. Some of the images feature other women who have never been identified. In the sequences relevant to this case, the complainant clearly refuses any intimate contact. She appears at times to be completely dazed, asking for her medication to be increased whilst her abuser brutally assaults her.
This latest court decision has resulted in the revocation of the suspended sentence the man had been granted following a conviction in 2024. He had then been tried for splashing pedestrians with biological fluid using injection needles. Barely two months after that judgment, he began seeing the victim in the present case.
Furthermore, the judges have ordered his placement under the supervision of the Court of Sentence Administration for a further five years. This measure would allow the prisoner to be kept behind bars at the end of his main sentence if specialists consider he still poses a threat.
The defendant, whose defence is conducted by Maître Fauve Vandewauwer, retains the possibility of appealing this decision within thirty days of the sentence being handed down.
Source: DHNET
Source: DHnet