A 19-year-old woman from Zwijndrecht has been acquitted of attempted manslaughter after stabbing a man who physically harassed her and her friend last summer.
On 28 June 2025, a 29-year-old cyclist was stabbed in Antwerp’s university area at around 6 a.m. He sustained a superficial neck wound and a stab under his right chest that pierced his diaphragm and liver. He had a blood alcohol level of 2.7 per ml and could not recall the incident.
The two young women, who had been out in Antwerp that night, reported to police at about 9:30 a.m. They admitted to being drunk and said they had lost their way on their journey home. Seeking directions from passers-by, they encountered a man willing to guide them.
The women stated that the eventual victim passed by on his bicycle and shouted “sexy thing” at them. He stopped to ask if they’d go with him, behaving drunkenly and aggressively. L.S. punched him, while her friend pushed him lightly in an attempt to deter him. Despite their efforts, the man threw away his bicycle and began pursuing them.
An unidentified man, who had been accompanying the women, told the cyclist to leave them alone. The situation escalated into a fight, with the victim attacking the man and involving L.S. and her friend. He pulled the friend’s hair and clothes, pushing her to the ground as the women screamed for help.
L.S. described taking a knife from her handbag for protection and waving it around without knowing if she had struck the man.
A nearby nurse administered first aid to the victim. The women took a taxi home but later presented themselves to the police. CCTV footage from the area backed their accounts. A bloodied knife was discovered in a nearby basement window well. L.S. explained that she had carried the knife for self-protection after an earlier incident where someone threatened her friend with a blade.
L.S. was charged with attempted manslaughter, with prosecutors arguing that the victim provoked the stabbing. Being drunk, older, and physically stronger, he had continued confronting the women after L.S. attempted to deter him and had assaulted her friend. The prosecution sought 220 hours of community service and an €800 fine for L.S.
However, her lawyer argued it was a case of self-defence. After reviewing additional CCTV footage, the Antwerp court concluded that L.S. had acted in lawful self-defence and acquitted her.
