Two years prison sentence for making stairs slippery, endangering child

Laurent M., born in 1977 and a resident of Nivelles, was sentenced in absentia on Monday by Nivelles criminal court to two years' imprisonment and a fine of 600 euros. The man was found guilty of assault and battery with premeditation against a minor, the accused's partner's son. After an argument in November 2013, Mr. Laurent waited until the evening to coat the staircase leading to the victims bedroom with an extremely slippery substance. The boy fell down the stairs the following morning and fractured his wrist. He underwent emergency surgery to reduce the fracture. 

The police visited the scene and found that the ladder-type stairs were coated with a large quantity of grease which made them extremely slippery.  In the kitchen, they found a broken bottle of olive oil.

The accused claimed he had simply waxed the stairs with linseed oil and left it to sink in overnight.  The court decided this explanation was unlikely since, on the day of the incident, the accused had said to his partner, during an argument, that her child would "pay."

Monday's 2-year prison sentence highlights the seriousness of the case and how unacceptable the violence the accused showed towards a child was considered by the court.

(Source: Belga)  


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