A martial arts instructor was sentenced to 80 hours of community service and a €400 suspended fine by the Ghent Correctional Court on Tuesday for knocking out a burglar.
The incident occurred on 20 November 2023, when the burglar broke into a social grocery shop in Ghent at around 10:50 p.m. and stole three bottles of wine.
The thief was spotted by a martial arts instructor, who was closing the adjacent kickboxing club at the time. A scuffle ensued, leaving the burglar unconscious and in a critical condition.
At Tuesday's hearing, the parties provided differing accounts of the events. The instructor claimed he struck the burglar on the right side of the head in self-defence, feeling threatened as the burglar approached him with a weapon. He denied kicking the burglar while he was already on the ground, the court noted.
The burglar, however, stated during multiple interrogations that he remembered only a single blow before losing consciousness. He believed he was struck multiple times, judging from his injuries.
A witness testified that the instructor had kicked the burglar in the head while he was on the ground.
The investigating judge then ordered a medical examination, which concluded that the burglar had been hit at least three times.
The martial arts instructor was thus brought before the correctional court for voluntary assault causing illness or incapacity to work. He received a sentence of 80 hours' community service and a €400 suspended fine. Additionally, he was ordered to pay the burglar €1 in provisional damages.
The burglar, who confessed to the theft, was sentenced to 14 months in prison.
Both parties can still appeal against the rulings.
