Prosecutors have called for a one-year prison term for a man accused of severely harassing his girlfriend’s former landlord in the Brussels municipality of Forest.
The prosecution described a campaign of terror involving acts of vandalism and arson. However, they admitted they lacked sufficient evidence to prosecute the man for those offences, leading to charges solely for social media harassment.
The man’s girlfriend was evicted from her Forest apartment by her landlord in June 2022, an action that the prosecution claims did not sit well with the suspect, referred to as Y.
"In the weeks and months following the eviction, various acts of vandalism occurred in the building," the prosecution stated. "Workers entering the building were shot at with an airgun. The situation escalated with several cars set on fire in the landlord’s company parking lot, and an arson attack on his home."
While the prosecution suspects Y. was behind these incidents, they acknowledged that the investigation failed to produce enough concrete evidence to charge him. The only exception was the creation of fake social media profiles used to insult and accuse the landlord of pedophilia.
"These profiles were traced back to an IP address linked to Y.," the prosecution added. "Y. denied all involvement when questioned."
Y. did not appear in court on Monday, where the prosecution demanded a one-year prison sentence. The verdict is expected on 6 February.
