A 27-year-old man from Ostend is facing up to four years in prison for allegedly planting USB sticks containing images of child sexual abuse in his former partner’s home before anonymously accusing her of distributing the material.
The defendant, identified only as L.E., appeared before the Bruges Criminal Court on charges including stalking, burglary and threat-making. Prosecutors allege that L.E. broke into his ex-girlfriend's home on 23 June 2024 and stole the woman's phone, laptop and three USB sticks.
He then returned home, loaded the USB drives with images of the woman's underage relatives and imagery of child sexual abuse, and returned the USB drives to her house the following day.
Three days after he returned the drives, L.E. submitted an anonymous “tip” claiming his ex-girlfriend had been distributing child pornography. L.E. reportedly also sent similar emails to the woman's employer.
Investigators would discover the USB drives during a search of the woman's house less than a week later. However, the circumstances surrounding the case were so suspicious that investigators quickly pieced together what had actually happened.
L.E. reportedly came clean to authorities the first time he was questioned, admitting that he had wanted to “hurt” his former partner. The pair’s relationship lasted two years, and L.E. had struggled to accept that the woman, now 50, had broken up with him.
A 25-year-old woman from Westerlo, identified as S.V., is also facing prosecution for her alleged involvement in the offences. She reportedly decided to help L.E. carry out his plan because she was in love with him.
While L.E. could face up to four years in prison as the mastermind behind the failed scheme, S.V. is looking at a slightly shorter sentence of 18 months for her involvement. The lawyers for both defendants argue that their clients should receive suspended sentences.
Belga News Ageny reports that L.E.’s lawyer justified this request on the grounds that L.E. is a “very vulnerable individual.”
The court is expected to deliver its verdict sometime in mid November.
