A man has been charged with attempted murder after attacking his convicted paedophile neighbour for allegedly sexually assaulting his stepson.
The incident occurred last Thursday evening and was partially captured on film. In the footage, Grégory Lenoci can be seen claiming responsibility for the attack, stating that his neighbour had sexually assaulted his six-year-old stepson. One week after the assault, the victim remains in critical condition.
Lenoci was brought before an examining magistrate on Wednesday afternoon, who charged him with attempted murder and placed him under arrest warrant, the Namur public prosecutor's office confirmed on Thursday.
Our colleagues at RTL Info obtained an excerpt from a ruling by the court. According to the document, the man attacked by Lenoci, named Marc P., was convicted in 2020 and sentenced to 37 months in prison for attempted rape with violence against a child under the age of 10, as well as for indecent assault involving violence or threats against a minor. He was ultimately granted a five-year suspended sentence on the condition that he no longer have contact with minors.
On Thursday morning, the Namur public prosecutor's office confirmed Marc P's sentence did include probationary conditions, but declined to provide further details. In the interest of the ongoing investigation, no additional information is being released at this stage.
The case has drawn widespread attention in Belgium, with many questioning how a man with such a criminal record was able to live freely among families with young children. According to several reports, Marc P. had been seen interacting with local children in recent months, despite the conditions of his suspended sentence.
As the investigation continues, Lenoci's action (and the legal system's handling of Marc P.'s release) are likely to remain at the centre of public debate.
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