The suspect (38) in the murder of the Public Welfare Centre (OCMW/CPAS) social worker (56) in Ghent has been extended by one month, the Ghent council chamber decided on Tuesday morning.
"These are terribly serious offences. He is aware of the offences and indeed had a psychiatric history," said his lawyer Ann Van de Steen.
The incidents occurred on Wednesday 13 August, in a social housing unit on Kikvorsstraat in Ghent's Nieuw Gent neighbourhood. The victim, a 56-year-old man from Wetteren, was making home visits.
The OCMW/CPAS colleague alerted the police around 19:45 because the social worker did not return to the office. Not much later, the police found the victim's body at the location of the last home visit on Kikvorsstraat.
The resident, a 38-year-old man, was not present but was arrested after a search in Brugse Poort in Ghent. He was questioned and then brought before the investigating judge, who ordered his arrest for murder.
The man was not previously known to the police or the judiciary, but his lawyer confirmed that he had a history of mental illness. He is a man of Syrian descent who has lived in Belgium for several years.
"The investigating judge immediately ordered a series of investigative measures, and we are awaiting the results. It is good that a panel of psychiatrists has been appointed to investigate his condition. He did indeed have a history of mental illness. He is aware of what happened, but he is currently silent about them. He has not yet made a statement about his motive. Naturally, we do not oppose further detention," said Van de Steen.
The psychiatric examination could take several months, and the panel will also determine whether the man was or is legally not sane. The presiding judge will decide later whether he will be detained or put on trial.
