A court in Tongeren has sentenced a 34-year-old man from Heers, who terrorised his family for over 11 years, to 18 months in prison.
The man, who was sentenced in absentia, was on trial for various acts of violence and for repeatedly violating a restraining order imposed on him to protect his mother and sister.
The violence against his mother, her new partner and his sister began more than 11 years ago, after his biological father passed away. Over the years, the violence escalated to such an extent that the son was issued with a temporary restraining order and contact ban last year. However, this did not stop him from again beating his mother black and blue on 14 March.
His sister found her that day with visible injuries to her face and throat. She had beenso badly beaten that she could barely move.
On 4 April, the mother was again the victim of her son’s blind violence. Once again, the 56-year-old woman was beaten severely and grabbed by the throat several times. After his sister also became a victim when she tried to defend her mother, the restraining order was extended until the end of May. But that too proved to be ineffective on several occasions.
The violence escalated again at the end of July, when the accused's sister and her partner were visiting her grandmother. The brother stormed into the house, attacked them and eventually forced them out.
“He shows no remorse and refuses to cooperate,” the prosecutor said last month. “He justifies his aggression by considering it a lesson for what has happened in the past, and also makes disturbing statements to the judicial assistant, who feared he would kill his mother.”
The man is no stranger to the courts: in recent years, he has been convicted seven times in criminal court, including for traffic offences such as driving under the influence, driving without a licence and hit-and-run accidents.
