Retired doctor André Gyselbrecht, who was sentenced to 21 years in prison for his part in the murder of his son-in-law in 2012, has been granted conditional parole by the criminal court of Ghent.
Gyselbrecht applied for early release in June of last year, and on Friday the court granted it under 20 strict conditions, including a no-contact order that prohibits him from communicating with both the press and the survivors of his victim.
The limited-detention sentence begins with a penitentiary leave of 36 hours twice a month for the first three months, which then increases to 36 hours on a weekly basis.
Penitentiary leave in Belgium allows a convict to leave the prison for a limited time in order to “maintain and promote the family, emotional and social contacts of the offender” and “prepare the offender for social reintegration,” according to Belgian law.
The sentence is viewed as continuing to be served during the duration of any granted penitentiary leave, meaning the time Gyselbrecht spends outside of prison will also count towards his 21-year sentence.
Murder for hire
Gyselbrecht was found guilty of ordering the murder of his son-in-law at his home in West Flanders back in 2012.
The retired doctor is said to have hired a hitman who killed Stijn Saelens at the entrance to his manor-house, then buried his body in a shallow grave nearby where it was found 17 days later.
Gyselbrecht and his son were immediately suspected because of the troubled relationship he was known to have with his son-in-law. Saelens had expressed an intention to emigrate to Australia with his wife – Gyselbrecht’s daughter – and the couple’s children.
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Gyselbrecht admitted his part in the murder, but insisted he had only asked for Saelens to be beaten and held hostage for a while.
The murderer was eventually identified as the Dutchman Ronald van Bommel, who died of pancreatic cancer before the case could come to court in 2019, when Gyselbrecht was sentenced to 27 years as accessory to the murder.
That sentence was reduced on appeal to 21 years.
