Culprit of infamous 'parachute murder' requests conditional release

Culprit of infamous 'parachute murder' requests conditional release
Els Clottemans was found guilty of sabotaging her friend Else Van Doren's parachute ropes causing the friend to die during a jump. Credit: Pixabay.

The culprit of the infamous "parachute murder", Els Clottemans (35), has requested conditional early release and will come before the Ghent criminal court on Tuesday.

Clottemans, who is currently serving out a 30-year-prison sentence, was found guilty by the Belgian court of assizes in 2010 of murdering her friend, Elise Van Doren. During the trial, Clottemans denied having committed the murder.

The now 35-year-old woman was found to have deliberately tampered with the ropes of Van Doren's parachute during a weekend trip in Limburg in November 2006. During a jump, the parachute malfunctioned and Van Doren died.

Having completed a third of her sentence, Clottemans has been eligible for conditional release since September. As a result, in June this year, Clottemans' lawyer filed an application for her early and conditional release.

Clottemans' request will be processed on Tuesday by the Ghent criminal court.

The 35-year-old woman has been interned in the Ghent prison since 2011.

Evie McCullough

The Brussels Times


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