Pelt (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – A 25-year-old man from Veurne was sentenced to a 3-year suspended sentence for inappropriate behavior on a train with a young girl at Pelt station on September 26, 2023.
The court in Hasselt recently made a decision about the 25-year-old man from Veurne who was arrested last year after an incident on a train. They sentenced him to a 3-year suspended prison sentence. This means he will not go to prison unless he breaks the rules set by the court. The court laid out strict conditions that he must follow during this time.
They mentioned that he has to attend a course on ‘sexuality and consent’ to help him understand his wrong behavior. Officials mentioned that he also needs to take an integration course to help him fit back into society. The court said these steps are part of a plan to help him change while making sure he is responsible for his actions.
How did a 25-year-old man’s actions on a train lead to arrest?
A week after the incident on the train, the police questioned the 25-year-old man from Veurne. The questioning was part of their investigation into the man’s actions. Following the interrogation, the police decided to arrest him. He spent approximately 5 months in jail while the authorities continued their investigation.
The police were gathering more evidence and information about what happened. Once his time in custody had passed, he was released under electronic surveillance. His activities were tracked to adhere to the conditions of the law. Police stated that electronic monitoring was one of the means of monitoring him and ensuring he did not do anything illegal while he was outside of prison.
On 26th September 2023, a young girl was waiting at Pelt station for a train to travel to school in Geel. As she was on the platform, a man of 25 years from Veurne approached her and began chatting with her using English. Once she boarded the train, he walked after her and took a seat right opposite her, pinning one of her legs between him.
He kissed her on the cheek and started touching her inappropriately. The girl felt uneasy and was afraid, so she pushed him off. She promptly sent a Snapchat message to her cousin, including photographs of what was happening, saying, “Help, I can’t leave.”
The man takes the girl’s phone and uses it to find her personal information, like her phone number. The girl was able to get off the train at Mol and get away from the man. Later that day, the man kept bothering her by sending her lots of messages on WhatsApp, trying to talk to her again.
