Three detainees convicted of torturing cellmate in Antwerp
Antwerp appeals court reduced sentences for three prisoners who inflicted extreme abuse on their cellmate in March 2024. The court's view on the absence of attempted murder lowered the penalties.
Three detainees convicted of torturing cellmate in Antwerp
In March 2024, Roy J. was found severely injured in his cell at Antwerp prison. Three cellmates had subjected him to systematic terror over several days, reports De Standaard.
The victim was raped with a broomstick, doused with boiling water, suffocated under plastic film and strangled with a rope until losing consciousness. The perpetrators also forced him to ingest his own urine, eat bread smeared with his own faeces, and to urinate and bark like a dog.
The Antwerp criminal court had imposed sentences of 15 to 20 years on the three perpetrators in October, notably for attempted murder. The appeals court did not uphold this charge. "The perpetrators wished to debase the victim to the very depths of his being, to dehumanise him and inflict extreme pain, without however taking his life," declared magistrate Els De Brauwer.
This qualification had an impact on the severity of the convictions. Filip T., considered the ringleader and involved in the most serious acts of violence, now receives 18 years' imprisonment instead of 20, together with 15 years' placement at the disposal of the sentence enforcement tribunal. Sonny R., who filmed and distributed the acts on social media, is sentenced to 12 years and 10 years' placement at the disposal of the tribunal. He also participated in the rape and several acts of violence. Soulemane D. receives 7 years. Very young at the time of the incidents, he was nonetheless involved in serious assaults. He was acquitted of rape, the court considering that he acted under the influence of the other two and partly for self-protection.
Two other cellmates, Sebastian C. and Alain G., had dealt at least one blow to the victim but had mainly contented themselves with observing without intervening. Having withdrawn their appeal in May, their sentences of 18 months and 2 years for assault, degrading treatment and failure to assist became final.
The court rejected the defence's argument that difficult detention conditions constituted a mitigating circumstance. The victim will provisionally receive 25,000 euros in damages, pending medical expertise that will determine the final compensation.
Source: De Standaard