The Liège Court of Appeal on Tuesday sentenced a 74-year-old former GP to five years in prison, with a one-third suspended sentence, for raping a young boy with Down syndrome.
The retired doctor, who practised in the Liège area, maintained a small number of patients after retirement, including the victim, due to his friendship with the boy's father.
The assaults took place in March and May 2021. The boy reported two incidents of rape, one of which he could not describe precisely, but in the other, he detailed how the assault occurred during a shared shower at the doctor's home after a sports session.
The defendant offered several conflicting explanations for why he had been with the child during the shower. A medical examination confirmed physical evidence of abuse, while a psychological report described the former GP as narcissistic, with an exaggerated sense of self-importance.
In the initial trial, the man received a five-year sentence with a two-thirds suspension. The appeal court upheld the length of the sentence but reduced the suspension to one-third.
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