Anger and disbelief in Belgium after late verdict in rape case
image: Patrick Robert Doyle on Unsplash
A student from Leuven was convicted of rape last week but escaped a prison sentence. Jeroen ten Voorde, Professor of Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure, commented on Dutch public broadcaster 'NOS' about the outrage following the late publication of the court ruling .
There is much anger and disbelief in Belgium following the verdict in a rape case against a 24-year-old man from Leuven. The student was found guilty of rape last week but was not sentenced to prison. In summing up, the judge said that one factor to consider was that the accused had no criminal record and was ‘a talented and committed person both in his professional and private life’. The man has been ordered to pay €3,500 in damages to the victim and has been suspended from the hospital where he worked.
According to Ten Voorde, the ensuing outrage and disbelief about the verdict can partly be explained by the fact that the information about the sentence was not made public immediately. 'In the Netherlands, journalists are often present in court when a verdict is passed down in this type of case, and the sentence is shared with the general public straight away. People can then reflect on the verdict and discuss it.'
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Read the full article on the NOS site (in Dutch)