A six-year prison sentence was requested by the prosecution at the Walloon Brabant Criminal Court on Wednesday for a man charged with stabbing another outside a New Year's Eve party in Braine-l’Alleud.
At Wednesday's hearing, the deputy public prosecutor described the profile of the defendant, who was born in 2000 and resided in Nivelles, as “particularly worrying.”
The Nivelles resident had already appeared before the courts in 2019 for robbery with violence, and was convicted last May following a double stab wound to a victim during a gang brawl in Braine-l’Alleud.
On New Year’s Eve, the accused was driving a Mercedes AMG rented by a third party and was travelling at an inappropriate speed close to revellers who were outside the party in Braine-l’Alleud. The organiser of the party then stood in front of the car to force the driver to stop. He also asked him to change his behaviour.
A verbal altercation ensued. The Nivelles resident claimed someone then threw something at his car, while witnesses claimed that he drove over a balloon inflator as he started off again.
In any event, he got out of his car with a knife, attacked the organiser and plunged the blade into the victim’s collarbone.
The prosecution considers this to be attempted murder and is asking for a six-year prison sentence. The defence is asking for the charge to be reclassified as assault and battery.
Judgement will be handed down on 23 August.
