The Namur Assizes court jury found Etienne K, 52, guilty of rape, indecent acts, degrading and inhuman treatment, debauchery and three years of false imprisonment for three of his six children. He was also found guilty of assaulting five of his six children over several years, up to 2009. The incidents took place in Basse-Sambre and other places around Namur, as the family moved several times. The jurors came to an agreement at 6.10pm on Thursday, more than 8 hours after going into deliberation. They had to reply to 59 questions. They then went away for another three hours to finalise their decision.
The 52 year old was charged with amoral behavior, degrading and inhuman treatment, and three years of false imprisonment for three of his six children, and assault on all of his children.
A seventh victim, Delphine G, one of his former players when he was a football coach, was concerned by the indecent acts charge.
The charges were numerous, classed according to the victim’s age, the length of time, the place and the incident, and were sometimes accompanied by aggravated circumstances.
(Source: Belga)
The defendant was found guilty of all charges except one, assault on his oldest daughter between 1987 (the year she was born) and 2005. The jurors added that even if the charge of indecent acts involving Delphine G was aggravated by the circumstance that he was her coach, and therefore an authority figure, there was no violence or threats.
The closing statements will be on Friday.
