A 20-year-old man has challenged a ten-year prison sentence handed down in absentia for the violent robbery of a 92-year-old man in Leuven, who died in hospital shortly after the attack.
The case was heard before the criminal court in Leuven, where Y.M. lodged an objection to the judgment issued in October 2025.
The robbery took place during the night of 18 February 2024. According to prosecutors, Y.M. broke into the victim’s home in Leuven while the man was asleep and targeted him for money.
When the 92-year-old woke up during the burglary, the defendant allegedly threatened him and used severe violence. Prosecutors said he tightened a belt around the elderly man’s neck twice, then held a screwdriver to his throat and forced him to reveal the PIN code for his bank card.
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The victim was eventually rescued thanks to an alert neighbour, who warned the nonagenarian’s brother that something was wrong. When police and emergency services arrived, they found, among other things, a gag on the bed, which the defendant was allegedly planning to use to further threaten the victim.
Y.M. tried to flee when emergency crews arrived but was overpowered. Prosecutors said he reacted aggressively and managed to kick a paramedic in the face.
At the time of his arrest, police found several of the victim’s belongings on him, including a watch. He was also carrying a penknife and a note with the victim’s bank card PIN written on it.
The prosecution said the evidence against him was overwhelming. Y.M., who had been drinking and taking drugs, told investigators he remembered little of what had happened.
An age assessment later found that he had been 17 at the time of the attack. However, prosecutors said he was already well known to the justice system, had used several aliases, and had previously appeared before the juvenile court over serious offences.
After the robbery, he was placed in a secure youth institution. On 2 September 2024, he escaped using a staff member’s badge, before later being arrested abroad and extradited back to Belgium.
