The child pornography trial against Belgian actor Guy Van Sande (56), in which he is accused of spreading, owning and producing child pornography, cannot start on Wednesday, because there are too few judges. The trial has been planned since March, yet the correctional court in Veurne, in the province of West-Flanders, has found no judges, reported Het Laatste Nieuws.
The former actor would normally stand trial for his presence in an online chatroom, in which he exchanged images with someone from West-Flanders and an Antwerp professor.
"My clients do not understand this," said lawyer Iris Exelmans to Het Laatste Nieuws. Exelmans is the counsellor of the family of a girl who was photographed at the age of five at Van Sande's home.
According to Exelmans, her clients have asked how something like this is possible in a civilized country like Belgium. "I tried to explain to them that they should not be angry with the magistrates. The judges are only barely getting by. Not two months ago they protested on the steps of the justice palace to denounce the lack of resources," she added.
Van Sande's lawyer, Sven Mary, said that his client is not pleased with the delay either. "He definitely did not ask for this," he said to Het Nieuwsblad.
The postponed trial is expected to start on 12 June.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
