On Friday, at the Dinant Criminal Court, a man was sentenced to 200 hours of community service and a fine of €400 for threats and disturbing the peace in Ciney on 5 December 2022, RTL Info reports.
At a Christmas market in the Walloon city of Ciney, the defendant got drunk on local liquor and launched into a drunken rampage, to the shock of onlookers. The man reportedly downed ten glasses of “Péket”, a type of traditional Walloon Eau de Vie made with juniper berries, similar to Dutch gin, at a Christmas market on the Place Monseau. The day of the incident also coincided with his birthday.
Needless to say, the suspect did not handle his liquor well. The man got back into his vehicle and engaged in dangerous driving around the town centre. At around 23:30, he pulled a handbrake turn in front of three people who had left a restaurant and were walking along the pavement.
“There was definitely a desire to scare them. When one of these three people asked him to calm down, the defendant asked him if he wanted to fight, before threatening to kill him. He then backed up (his car) and these three people had to move aside to avoid being hit,” the civil party stated during the hearing.
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“If it hadn’t been for the unexpected arrival of a police unit, the consequences for these three people could have been more damaging. He was carrying a box cutter and a razor blade with him,” the prosecution said.
While carrying out the arrest, police officers were insulted and threatened. The defendant's lawyer states that his client “does not have a problem with alcoholism, but when he consumes (alcohol), there is a ‘behaviour problem.’”
