A 38-year-old man from Koekelare in West Flanders has been given a twenty-month suspended sentence by a Bruges court for the rape and "degrading treatment" of his girlfriend, with whom he remains in a relationship, Belga News Agency has reported.
The man, known only as 'KR', was acquitted of the charge of "inhumane treatment" of his 25-year-old partner.
"The defendant was morbidly jealous and constantly thought his partner was cheating on him," prosecutor Fien Maddens told Het Laatste Nieuws. "The victim was forced into oral sex. He also tied her up with belts and cords against her will and raped her. If she asked him to stop, he threatened to break her neck."
The court found that violence had been rife within the relationship ever its inception in October 2019. The brutality, however, peaked on 6 August, 2021, when KR flew into a cocaine-fuelled rage and hit his girlfriend up to 50 times before throwing her out naked onto the street. KR then physically assaulted his girlfriend's father when the latter attempted to collect her a few days later.
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During the trial, KR admitted to having struck his girlfriend, but claimed he did so "only" a dozen times. He also claimed that his girlfriend enjoyed rough sex and blamed his violent behaviour on his heavy drug use.
"My drug problem was largely the cause," KR said. "In the meantime, that has been completely resolved. I also took counselling for my aggression problem."
KR's girlfriend has not launched civil proceedings against her partner, and claims that she now considers the matter "completely closed".
