The Tournai criminal court has handed down suspended sentences to two soldiers convicted of assault and battery resulting in death without intent to kill.
On June 20, 2023, the defendants struck a 36-year-old man, causing his death, at the Quai du Marché au Poisson in Tournai.
On the day of the incident, the soldiers, who were in Tournai for training, had gone out for a drink. Witnesses stated that they were "looking for trouble", making racist remarks and being very aggressive towards women.
The victim, a man in his 30s, had tried to intervene to call out their behaviour. He was struck by one of the defendants.
“He fell, got up, and was then struck by a second defendant. At that point, his skull hit the ground, and he died,” the civil party explained.
“We are not claiming self-defence. He never intended to kill,” argued the defence for the man who delivered the fatal blow, who had spent a year in pretrial detention.
He was sentenced to four years, suspended for the portion exceeding his pre-trial detention.
The other defendant who struck the victim received a two-year suspended sentence for the portion exceeding his pretrial detention.
The two perpetrators of the attack have been permanently dismissed from the army.
A third soldier prosecuted for assaulting a woman received a suspended sentence, despite the prosecution’s request for a six-month term. He is the subject of an ongoing disciplinary case in the army.
