A suspect has been arrested in connection with the rape of a 35-year-old woman in June 2024 in Bazel, East Flanders.
The 40-year-old man was apprehended thanks to a crucial breakthrough in DNA analysis, the East Flanders public prosecutor's office said.
The attack happened on the evening of 4 June 2024. The victim was cycling from Saint-Nicolas towards the ferry crossing the Scheldt River between Bazel and Hemiksem.
"The suspect followed her on a black electric bicycle. Upon reaching the Verkortingsdijk, she was suddenly struck on the back of the head and neck by the man, causing her to fall into the bushes. The man hid both bicycles in the undergrowth, beat and raped her, before fleeing," the public prosecutor's office stated at the time.
The Scheldewaas police district launched a thorough investigation under the direction of the investigating judge in Dendermonde. A wanted notice was circulated in the media, and approximately 30 tips were received. Simultaneously, a comparative DNA analysis was conducted on traces collected at the scene.
The positive result of the DNA analysis led to the identification of a suspect. On December 22, the 40-year-old suspect, originally from Temse in East Flanders, was arrested and brought before the investigating judge in Dendermonde, who ordered him detained and charged him with rape.
The suspect appeared before the pre-trial chamber last Friday, which upheld his detention.
