A court in Turnhout has acquitted two brothers, aged 36 and 32, after they assaulted a security guard with a knife, ruling that the act was self-defence.
The incident occurred on 5 October 2024, when the guard confronted one of the brothers for using an electric scooter in a prohibited area.
Later that evening, the security guard went to the brothers’ residence, broke down the door, and brandished a bicycle lock.
In response, the brothers attacked him with a stick and a knife, resulting in the guard being stabbed once.
The court concluded that the brothers acted in self-defence, citing the significant physical disparity between them and the security guard.
"The brothers are small and slightly built, whereas the security guard is tall and robust," the court noted. It found it plausible that one brother used a kitchen knife to deliver what was deemed a superficial stab wound to stop the guard.
The security guard, a 45-year-old man from Turnhout, was sentenced to a two-year probationary period for trespassing and property damage.
