The public prosecutor requested a five-year prison sentence on Thursday morning at the Charleroi Correctional Court for a 39-year-old man charged with swindling, theft, robbery with violence, and extortion.
The accused has admitted only that he did not pay for a service provided in a carwash.
The man is suspected of several scams - which he denies - involving customers who paid hundreds of euros to obtain heating oil, pellet fuel and charcoal. “My supplier ripped me off, so I wasn’t able to honour the fuel order,” he explained. He also denied extorting €1,000 from café managers with a knife. “This is a cabal against me,” he charged.
Further, the suspect denied stealing €400 from the till of a Greek restaurant. “The owner of the establishment had asked me to get him a Glock firearm, a silencer and cartridges, but I refused and he didn’t appreciate it,” he explained. He only admitted that he had not paid for a service provided in a carwash.
The accused is a professional “swindler,” according to the prosecution. It asked for a five-year prison term for the defendant, who has dozens of judicial convictions, including for similar offences.
The defence is seeking an acquittal on the contested charges and a sentence of electronic monitoring for the only offence admitted by the defendant.
Judgement is expected on 14 August.
