A woman in her sixties in the Brussels municipality of Uccle allegedly jumped out of the window to a courtyard when police came to evict her from the house.
Officers and a bailiff, accompanied by welfare staff, knocked on her door on Thursday 17 September in the Fort-Jaco quarter in Uccle but initially got no answer, although noises could be heard from inside the house, reports by La Dernière Heure (DH).
Once inside, they found nobody, but noticed a window was open. Looking into the interior courtyard, they discovered the woman's body. A source told la DH that she had not jumped in front of those carrying out the eviction.
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The woman lived alone. Her death caused shock among staff at Uccle's Public Centre for Social Welfare (CPAS), one of whose employees was present during the eviction as part of the standard procedure.
"It had never happened before. We had never heard of anything like this," a source within the organisation told La DH.
Uccle CPAS president Michel Cohen reportedly said he could not confirm whether the woman was receiving assistance from CPAS or whether the property belonged to it. According to La DH, however, she was not a CPAS beneficiary and the property was privately owned.
The landlord reportedly obtained a court order authorising the eviction last year, but it could not be enforced immediately.
Residential evictions in the Brussels-Capital Region are generally suspended during the winter moratorium, which runs from 1 November to 15 March, while implementing court decisions can also involve additional delays.
