Woman arrested with machette during police intervention in Jemappes
A 61-year-old woman from Jemappes had to answer before the court for insulting police officers and possession of a prohibited weapon.
Woman arrested with machette during police intervention in Jemappes
A 61-year-old woman from Jemappes, referred to here as Sonia, had to answer before the correctional court for insulting police officers and possession of a prohibited weapon. The facts date from 7 July 2024.
On that day, officers sought a stolen vehicle that had been located outside her home. The vehicle's documents were found in her letterbox. When the police rang the doorbell, she opened the door and was clearly under the influence of alcohol.
According to the case file, she immediately began cursing at the officers, including calling them "dirty cops". She was holding a machette in her hand.
During the hearing, the defendant admitted that she had behaved badly, but gave a completely different version of events. "The officers were aggressive. They grabbed the machette, which was in the hallway", she claimed. "An officer attacked me without even saying hello. That is rude", she added. She admitted to having consumed alcohol, but denied insulting the officers. "Such coarse language does not fit in my vocabulary", said Sonia.
The public prosecutor relied on consistent statements from neighbours. These stated that the officers asked her several times to "calm down and go inside". The substitute prosecutor pointed out that Sonia refused to let go of her machette during the arrest. A suspended sentence was requested.
Lawyer Hubert argued that the car thief had confessed to the facts. According to him, his client had grabbed the machette to take revenge on the vehicle, which she regarded as the source of her problems, and not to attack the police. The defence counsel asked for leniency.
The judgment will be delivered at a later date.
Source: DH Les Sports+
Source: DHnet