The Verviers Criminal Court on Monday sentenced a 22-year-old undocumented immigrant to six years in prison for raping his partner.
On 21 February 2025, the woman, who is in her thirties, went to a police station to file a complaint because her partner, with whom she had been living for several months, had brutally raped her the day before. She said that during an argument, he grabbed her by the neck and raped her despite her refusal.
The man claimed that it was consensual sex, but this was contradicted by the numerous bruises found during the medical examination on her face, chest, arms, legs, thighs and genital area.
The subsequent investigation revealed another victim, the man's previous partner.
The man appeared in the Verviers Criminal Court on charges of raping both women, but kept claiming that the sexual relations were consensual.
The defendant also claimed that he had entered Belgium legally with a visa, but this proved to be false.
The court rejected the defence's request for a stay of execution, stating that the facts warranted a coercive and exemplary punishment.
It found the defendant guilty of raping his current partner, but not the other woman, as the facts were not sufficiently established.
The defendant was sentenced to six years in prison.
