Seven men who attacked a house in Oudsbergen in 2022 have been sentenced by the Tongeren-Borgloon Correctional Court.
All men must also each pay a fine of €800. Some of the defendants were given 250 hours of community service or a suspended two-year prison term.
The judge gave three years to 28-year-old man from Boutersem, who had urged the others to join a raid on the house of his former employer in Oudsbergen, with whom he had a money dispute.
After being released from prison, the employer gave the man some work and allegedly demanded a portion of his wage as compensation.
Bricks and iron bars
On 7 May 2022, the employer visited the man’s parents' home in Boutersem to claim the money. The parents informed their son, who was in Germany at the time. He alerted several relatives and friends during his drive back to Leuven and arranged to meet them in a car park.
In the car park, he incited them and persuaded them to accompany him to his employer’s house in Oudsbergen. One of the men found the address, and they drove there in two cars. Around 05:30, the men arrived on Muizenstraat in Oudsbergen.
While two remained inside the cars, five climbed over the fence and threw bricks and iron bars at the house. They also tried to break in, and a gunshot was fired. They fled only when one of the residents released a dog on them.
Neighbours described the two cars used by the attackers. The investigation revealed the cars belonged to an acquaintance and some family members from Leuven. All but one of the men were quickly identified.
Initially, the affected family did not understand why their home was targeted. Investigations later showed that the men had attacked the wrong house due to an address mistake.
The raiders were familiar to the courts, with almost all of them having previous convictions.
34 convictions
Four men, either without criminal records or only youth court convictions, received 250 hours of community service and an €800 fine from the Tongeren court.
If they fail to complete the service within a year, it will be converted into a two-year prison term. Two men with extensive criminal records got the same sentence, with suspension.
The 28-year-old who rallied his relatives and friends received a three-year prison sentence and the same fine. He has a long criminal history with 34 convictions from youth, police, and correctional courts. His last conviction dates back to 2020 when he was sentenced to three years in prison by the Court of Appeal.
