A man who gave another man a jumping taekwondo kick in the face has been accused of manslaughter. The victim fell and hit his head, dying four days later. The jury for the trial is being selected next week.
The case will be heard by the Ghent Assize Court and the jury will be selected next Tuesday, Belga News Agency reported. Marian Salabin, a 36-year-old Romanian national, is on trial for manslaughter after injuring Yunus Calik in Aalst (East Flanders) in November 2021.
During a trivial street fight, Salabin performed a jumping taekwondo kick, hitting the victim in the face. Calik fell backwards and hit his head. He suffered a fractured skull and underwent emergency surgery. However, he died four days later in hospital. The medical examiner later concluded that his death was the result of severe trauma to the skull and brain.
Several witnesses stated that Calik, who was out with friends, had been kicked in the head after a brief altercation with a group of men. Based on the statements, camera footage and investigation via social media, Salabin was identified as a suspect. He was located in France and was arrested there on 13 January 2022. He was later extradited to Belgium.
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In his first interrogation, Salabin denied having kicked Calik. He claimed that one of his friends had punched Calik, causing him to fall. In later interrogations, Salabin admitted to having kicked the victim in the face, causing the fatal fall.
According to the court psychiatrists, Salabin is criminally responsible. The indictment division in Ghent referred him to the Assize Court in the province of East Flanders in June last year.
The trial itself is expected to start on Friday 21 February.
