Prosecutors in Halle-Vilvoorde have demanded five-year prison terms for a Bulgarian couple accused of luring multiple young women to Belgium under false pretences to force them into prostitution.
The investigation began when local police in Zaventem discovered a review on a specialised sex advertisement website. A client reported that the young woman he had visited was visibly abused and performing against her will.
Police identified the client and the woman mentioned in the review. She was working in a dilapidated building in Zaventem, but the phone numbers listed on the advertisement led them to an address in Kortrijk. Both the adverts and associated profiles traced back to this location.
A Bulgarian woman, M., was registered at the Kortrijk address. Authorities linked her to 12 other profiles on the same website and found payments on her bank accounts tied to these adverts.
A Bulgarian man, H., was also registered at the same address. He had received payments via the website and had been observed driving with various scantily-clad women. During a search of the residence, police found the woman from the advertisement and several others.
One young woman, identified as T., told police she had been promised work at a restaurant in Belgium but was forced into prostitution upon arrival. She claimed her phone was confiscated, she was abused, and her income was taken. She managed to escape briefly but was allegedly recaptured by M. and H.
Prosecutors stated this was a clear case of human trafficking and exploitation and described the victims as dehumanised and left with lifelong physical and psychological scars for quick financial gain.
The defence argued for acquittal, asserting that T.’s testimony was inconsistent and contradicted by other women. These women claimed they worked voluntarily, retained their phones, arranged their own appointments, and transferred payments to M. and H. due to their lack of Belgian bank accounts.
The court’s decision is set for 21 April.
