The Court of Appeal of Hainaut has upheld the nine-year prison sentence for A.P., who was convicted of raping his underage adopted daughter. The court also acquitted the victim’s mother of culpable neglect.
The case came to light in April 2024 when the 17-year-old girl went to the Charleroi sexual violence support centre after another assault. She had gathered biological evidence that confirmed A.P.’s DNA presence.
During her testimony, the victim reported repeated sexual assaults and molestation that began when she was seven years old. She had earlier reported the abuse to her mother twice, but the attacks did not stop.
A.P., who had previously been convicted for murder in 1999, denied the allegations. He claimed, in what the court termed an “implausible” defence, that his daughter had tampered with biological samples to frame him.
The victim’s mother, charged with failing to assist a person in danger, denied knowing about her husband’s crimes. She had submitted false medical certificates to discredit her daughter's claims.
The judges concluded that it could not be proven that the mother had been fully informed of the danger faced by her daughter and acquitted her of culpable neglect.
