A 42-year-old man from Liège, accused of rape and sexual assault against his stepdaughter, has been acquitted by the Liège Criminal Court due to insufficient certainty surrounding the allegations.
Accusations emerged after the man filed for divorce from the victim's mother. The young woman alleged that she had been subjected to sexual acts between the ages of two and 16, from 2007 to 2022.
The defendant had faced up to six years in prison.
According to the case presented in court, some of the allegations were based on fragmented or partial memories.
The defendant, described during proceedings as having a foot fetish, was suspected of imposing sexual acts linked to his fantasies on the girl.
He also faced charges related to the illegal possession of child sexual abuse material.
In its ruling, the court noted that there were numerous contradictions in the victim's statements and stressed that the young woman had specific reasons to hold resentment towards her stepfather. The judges concluded that reasonable doubt remained and acquitted the defendant.
