An 18-year-old woman from Zwijndrecht appeared before the court in Antwerp, accused of attempted manslaughter after stabbing a man last summer.
The incident happened after the man had physically harassed her and a friend. The Public Prosecutor argued that the victim had provoked the stabbing and sought a sentence of 220 hours of community service for the defendant, L.S. Her lawyer pleaded acquittal on the grounds of lawful self-defence.
The victim, a 29-year-old cyclist, was stabbed on 28 June 2025 at around 6:00 near the Grote Kauwenberg in Antwerp's university district. He sustained a superficial wound to the neck and a stab wound under the right breast that pierced his diaphragm and liver. His blood alcohol level was 2.7‰, and he later stated that he could not remember the incident.
"The woman stated that the later victim then rode past on his bicycle and shouted 'nice piece'. He stopped and asked whether they wanted to go with him. He was drunk, behaved in a pushy manner and came across as aggressive. L.S. punched him, and her friend gave him a light shove in the hope that he would stop. They wanted to continue walking, but the victim threw his bicycle aside and came after them," the prosecutor said.
A third man, who was never identified, intervened and told the victim to leave the woman alone. A fight broke out, during which the victim allegedly pulled L.S.'s friend by the hair and pushed her to the ground. L.S. said she then took a knife from her handbag to protect herself and made defensive movements with it, without knowing whether or where she had struck him.
CCTV footage supported the woman's account, and a bloodstained knife was found nearby. The prosecutor described the wounds as potentially fatal but stressed the role of provocation, noting the victim's intoxication, age and physical strength.
"The defendant must realise that she acted wrongly and that the outcome could have been far worse. Carrying a knife is not acceptable," the prosecutor said.
The defence argued there was no intent to kill and that the stabbing constituted lawful self-defence. Judgment is due on 6 March.
