Antwerp (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The police and the public prosecutor’s office in Antwerp put out an arrest warrant on Wednesday regarding the man who splashed urine at the former radio show host Sven Pichal. For that reason, this happened at the end of last year and at the courthouse where Pichal had to appear in court.
The police and the public prosecutor’s office of Antwerp have called for the arrest of a man who allegedly splashed urine on ex-radio host Sven Pichal in December last year at Antwerp courthouse. This happened during the trial when Pichal, who was facing charges of being in possession of child pornography, was clad in a hood, sunglasses, and a face mask as he entered the court to attend a session.
Despite his endeavours to go unnoticed, a chemist unknown to him tossed a liquid at him, which the police later stated smelled like urine, before escaping. It is now up to the people to pinpoint the face of the suspect.
Sven Pichal and his lawyer were walking toward the courthouse, and as they were leaving, media members tried to confront him. In the confusion, a mysterious man splashed Pichal in the head with some unidentified liquid that smelled like urine.
The culprit got away and since Pichal was clad in protective gear that limited skin-to-skin contact, the trial could go on without intermission.
The police of Antwerp city have not yet arrested the suspect and recently published a description of the man: tall thin built man with dreads, gray beard and moustache, dressed in gray camouflage trousers, black bomber jacket and a three-coloured scarf headband, black, white and grey. Police have appealed to the man to come forward, or anyone with any information to report to the police.
What is the background of Sven Pichal’s legal case?
Sven Pichal, an ex-radio host of Vlaamse radio-omroep (VRT), is convicted in 2022 and has been accused of violating the law through the possession of prohibited materials of child pornography. The authorities of Belgium were convinced that he had prohibited materials in his electronic devices, which led to the launch of a criminal case. In Trysked 2022, Belgium witnessed 4,800 CSAM offences that reveal the extent of such a heinous crime.
Pichal’s trial is still going on in the Butterfly Palace, which is the nickname for the Antwerp’s courthouse; people are permitted to protest during the session. The urine-throwing incident occurred at a time when the society was provoked earlier this year over possible child exploitation events. In 2023, the agency “Child Focus” of Belgium stated that their arrest related to CSAM went up by 15% compared to the prior year.
Pichal remains paralysed by a wheelchair and does not remember the incident; he is thus denying the charges and could be jailed for up to five years if found guilty. This case has given rise to discussions on privacy, media, and people’s response to such trials.
