Four men have been sentenced to prison terms of 30 and 37 months for violent robbery and criminal conspiracy in Bruges, involving the assault of an 81-year-old man in July 2025 in Knokke-Heist’s Lippenslaan.
Fatah B., 34 and of French nationality, grabbed the victim from behind in the entrance hall of his building and tore off his luxury Rolex watch, valued at €35,000.
Investigators swiftly identified Fatah B., who fled the scene in a car with French registration plates. The vehicle’s driver, Abdeljalil Y., 24, was also arrested.
Fatah B. later admitted he had been accompanied by two others during the robbery. Moroccan national Rayan B. and Algerian national Lhaj M. were subsequently apprehended.
Although both claimed to be minors, forensic bone analysis disproved their claims. The prosecution stated that the group had clearly come with the intention to commit theft.
Three of them had been seen the previous day on the promenade, and police uncovered photos of luxury watches on their phones. All four had criminal records in Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Spain. Consequently, the prosecution sought a sentence of 37 months.
The Bruges court sentenced Fatah B., the primary offender who had remained in preventive detention, to 37 months in prison. His three accomplices, tried in absentia, were sentenced to 30 months each.
