A Brussels criminal court has sentenced a 21-year-old man to two years in prison for a series of car burglaries in Dilbeek.
The man had initially claimed to be a minor, though a bone scan later revealed his true age. While he admitted to some of the offences, he denied responsibility for all the incidents brought against him.
The case began on the night of 29 to 30 July when a witness alerted Dilbeek police after seeing two men tampering with a vehicle. When officers arrived, they found one of the car doors forced open with screwdriver marks.
“Under a bush a little further on, the police spotted a man lying there, who was immediately arrested,” said the public prosecutor’s office. “He was found to be in possession not only of a screwdriver, but also a pile of loose change, a locket, perfume and other items, presumably stolen.”
A neighbourhood enquiry soon revealed that several other vehicles in the surrounding streets had either been broken into or faced break-in attempts, and that the items the suspect was carrying came from those burglaries.
His lawyer had asked the court to impose a suspended sentence, claiming he was not the only one involved, but the court rejected that argument. It ruled that the evidence was sufficient to hold the young man responsible for all the offences.
