A 27-year-old man from Antwerp was sentenced on Monday by the Brussels Criminal Court to five years in prison, three of which were suspended, for pimping a minor and the rape of another victim aged fourteen.
The investigation began on 16 September when a young girl claimed she had been forced by her boyfriend to stay in a hotel in Saint-Gilles and to work as a prostitute there.
According to the prosecution, she had been in a relationship with the defendant, identified as T., for several months before reaching adulthood. She had already started prostituting herself because of the couple’s financial difficulties.
Prosecutors said that once he realised how much money he could make, he forced her to take more clients and gave her no choice over whom she saw. They added that he also allegedly assaulted her several times.
The defendant was remanded in custody in September 2025, then placed under electronic monitoring after some time, but in the spring of 2026, he is alleged to have had sexual relations with a fourteen-year-old girl on two occasions.
The defence argued that the girl with whom the defendant had been in a relationship had already been prostituting herself before meeting him. Counsel said that when he found out, he wanted to end the relationship, but she wanted it to continue.
According to the defence, he never forced her into prostitution, but the situation deteriorated after he developed a cocaine addiction. During that period, the defence acknowledged that he did hit her.
The defence also sought an acquittal on the rape charge involving the other alleged victim, saying the girl had repeatedly told the defendant that she was of age.
