A beautician was sentenced on Tuesday to 28 years in prison for killing a private banker in a beauty salon in Antwerp.
Kathleen Hoeckx (49) strangled the victim, Didier Van den Nieuwenhuysen (58), on 3 September 2021 in her beauty salon in Borgerhout. She claims to have no memory of the event due to a blackout caused by alcohol.
However, experts determined she was not intoxicated enough for such a blackout, and there is no medical explanation for her memory loss, suggesting it might be feigned.
'Significant risk to society'
On Tuesday, prosecutors sought the maximum sentence of 30 years for Hoeckx, who was found guilty on Friday of manslaughter. Prosecutor Wim Smets stated that there were no mitigating circumstances for her actions.
"Hoeckx has had a drinking problem for years and still does not recognise the need for help, even after all that has happened," explained Smets. "Court psychiatrists insist that she must stop drinking to prevent reoffending, but she ignores this advice. Her electronic monitoring does not hinder her as she orders alcohol delivery services. Therefore, she remains a significant risk to society."
Smets further argued that Hoeckx lacks the character to address her issues, showing self-pity and a focus only on herself. "She lacks the will to work on her problems and continues to choose alcohol. She has zero insight into her issues," he stated, adding that he observed no genuine remorse or empathy for the victim’s family.
'Give her hope'
The defence urged the jury and court to offer Hoeckx some hope for the future. "She has faced your verdict with dignity without losing composure," said defence lawyer Alexander Van Heeschvelde.
"She has made poor decisions and become the worst version of herself. Though the moral report describes her as selfish and manipulative, this only reflects the last third of her life when alcohol took over. She’s not inherently violent, and the outburst on 3 September 2021 resulted from bottled-up frustrations and life struggles," Van Heeschvelde added.
The lawyer remarked that it was a challenging week for Hoeckx, with her personal flaws publicly exposed. However, he suggested this exposure could allow her to rebuild her life. "I’m asking not to fight evil with anger but to give her hope. While incarcerated, she won’t have access to alcohol, which will help. But true rehabilitation can only happen outside prison walls, in a residential setting."
Jesse Van den Broeck, who was also defending the accused, made similar statements: "A 30-year sentence shuts the door entirely and is a weak response. The tragedy is that, without alcohol, this crime wouldn’t have occurred. Sober, Kathleen is kind and pleasant. Be lenient in your judgement, challenging as that may be."
Immediate arrest
After three hours of deliberation on Tuesday, the Antwerp Assize Court sentenced Hoeckx to 28 years in prison for manslaughter. The court ordered her immediate arrest.
In determining the sentence, the seriousness of the facts and the impact of the victim's death were taken into account. "His sudden, violent death left a void for his relatives and for everyone who knew him," presiding judge Dirk Thys read from the judgment. No mitigating circumstances were accepted.
The jury and the court placed particular emphasis on the high risk of recidivism. "She has little motivation to tackle her addiction. Her attitude towards her family, social workers and probation officers was evasive and defensive. She abused her electronic monitoring to continue her drinking problem," the court stated in its reasoning.
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"It is worrying that she seems to have resigned herself to her problems. She does not take the risk of reoffending seriously and poses a danger to society," the court's statement added.
In addition, the judgment reiterated that the victim had given no cause for the fatal violence. "The investigation shows that he did nothing that could be considered a provocation. Everything points to unilateral and unexpected violence on the part of Hoeckx."
While the Public Prosecutor had demanded a sentence of 30 years, the jury and the court reduced this by two years, taking into account Hoeckx's past, although this was not considered a mitigating circumstance. Hoeckx had a successful practice as a beautician and was well-liked by her clients before her alcohol problem ruined everything.
