The Brussels Criminal Court on Monday gave a young man a 12-month suspended sentence for threatening to kill children in a crèche on around 30 occasions last February.
On each occasion, the defendant dialled an emergency number. Although his calls were recorded, he denied the facts in court.
The man, who lives rough, first called the emergency number on 11 February, explaining that he was furious because the police had confiscated his belongings and saying he wanted to kill people. He repeated his call to 112 on the following day, making the same threat.
A dozen days later, on 24 February, the threat escalated: the man called the emergency number 26 times, warning each time that he intended to kill children in a nursery. Every precaution was taken. As telephone investigations showed that the calls were coming from the Havenlaan, all the crèches in the area were placed under surveillance.
After a few days of calm, the young man called the emergency number again on 26 and 27 February and renewed his threats. This time, the police were able to ascertain his exact location and apprehend him on the Havenlaan. He was in possession of the mobile phone used to make the calls.
According to a psychiatrist, the defendant does not have a mental disorder, but he is not harmless, having acted in this way before in Germany.
“My client continues to deny the facts, despite the recordings and other tangible evidence in the file,” said the defence. “I therefore question his mental state."
The court finally gave the young man a 12-month suspended prison sentence.
