Tongeren (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Tongeren assizes trial jurors who evaluated the 42-day Genk boy kidnapping case, including six male and six female members. The victim, now nineteen years old, came to court on Thursday with his lawyers to act as a civil party.
A 12-person jury consisting of six men and six women will judge the assault case about the 42-day Genk boy abduction at Tongeren’s Assize court in Limburg. At the time of the trial, the victim reached eighteen years of age and joined a civil party together with his lawyers.
The jury selection occurred at Tongeren city hall, where present officers were maintaining security. Most of the eight defendants attended the court proceedings, but other accused persons were represented by lawyers. The April 22 trial date marks the start of hearings for about seventy witnesses.
The fake police officers invaded the victim’s home on April 21, 2020, as they pressured the family for 4 to 5 million euros. The family made two payments amounting to €300,000 while also handing over €30,000 worth of cash together with gold and jewellery items. The kidnappers detained the boy inside a small room at Maaseik and Houthalen, which they locked while only letting him play PlayStation and watch Netflix.
The family managed to get two pieces of verification from the kidnappers: a Polaroid photo showing the victim bound to his bed without any clothes and an audio recording containing his voice. Federal police officials executed nine search operations across Antwerp and Limburg on June 1, 2020, during their raids.
The boy remained in locked rooms at two sites within Maaseik and Houthalen after being restrained there.
The young boy was permitted access to computer games on PlayStation and Netflix streaming services, as well as some other activities. Family members of the boy received two clear indications that the boy was still alive. A Polaroid photo showed the boy lying bound to a bedclothes while a voice recording with his voice reached the mailbox. Out of 120 jury candidates, only 58 appeared.
What is the historical context of kidnappings and ransom cases in Limburg and Antwerp?
Belgium has experienced few kidnapping-for-ransom events during the last decade, although these high-profile crimes have occurred in Limburg and Antwerp independently. The statistics from the Federal Police show that abduction-for-ransom cases in Belgium occur less than five times each year, resulting in most victims being released before their abduction period ends. A Belgian criminal history records the 2020 Genk ransom kidnapping as its longest to date at 42 days.
Antwerp serves as an organised criminal centre because of its port operations and diamond industry, while previous kidnappings happened because of drug-related conflicts. A business owner from Antwerp endured a kidnapping that ended with his release after his family paid 1 million euros as a ransom.
The region of Limburg has experienced a limited number of these crimes, which stemmed from family breakups and money coercion. Official police records reveal that Belgian ransom kidnappings tend to require payments within a range of €200,000 to €2 million, although victims can gain their freedom when the kidnappers receive at least some of the ransom.
The 2020 Genk case became notable because it detained a juvenile victim for a long period and used police imitation costumes during captivity, which were typically used in Dutch but not Belgian abductions.
Analysis from the Federal Police reveals that 80% of abducted persons in Belgium experienced successful resolution outcomes between 2015 and 2023, which led to sentencing between 10 and 30 years. This upcoming trial surpasses typical proceedings by featuring a vast number of 70 witnesses, which surpasses the normal range of 20–30 witnesses in similar trials.
