A 29-year-old man who allegedly violated the sexual integrity of an underage girl on a train between Leuven and Brussels in August 2023 risks a 40-month prison sentence, half of which is suspended.
The man was only located months later after a search notice was issued, announced the Brussels General Prosecutor's Office. He maintained that the girl had consented to all his actions.
The incident occurred on 12 August 2023, when a 15-year-old girl boarded a train in Leuven to Brussels. There were no available seats, so she stood at one of the train doors. An unknown man watched her and followed her as she walked away, until he cornered her and began groping her, reaching down into the girl's pants.
The man disembarked at Brussels North Station, after which the police were notified. The court opened an investigation but was forced to issue a search notice about the incident in March 2024. A day later, an acquaintance of the suspect took him to the police station.
'Error of judgement'
"There, the man claimed that the girl had approached him and agreed to everything," the Public Prosecutor's Office said. "Not only is that completely implausible, but it would not even make any difference because she could not give consent at all due to her age."
In March, the Brussels Criminal Court sentenced the man to 40 months in prison, half of which was suspended, and the Public Prosecutor's Office requested confirmation of that sentence. The defence argued for a prison sentence with full probation.
"My client clearly made a serious error of judgment, which was most likely the result of his drug and alcohol use," they said. "But he has never been in trouble with the law, so we can assume this was a one-time offence."
The verdict will be handed down on 29 August.
