Two men in their 20s were sentenced with 18 months in prison and fined €800 for taking a joyride in a stolen ambulance in Antwerp.
On 8 September, a group of young people stole an ambulance on Manchesterlaan while paramedics were attending to an urgent medical intervention. The vehicle, equipped with a track-and-trace system, was found 200 metres away on Belfaststraat.
Dashcam footage and city cameras identified five individuals involved: driver Jean C.P. (21), passenger Ioannis V. (22), a 17-year-old, and two minors aged 17 and 15 who recorded the theft on their mobile phones.
The group had been spent the night at the Ikon nightclub and claimed the theft was a prank that got out of hand. The minors are being dealt with by the juvenile court, while the two men had to appear before the correctional court.
Jean C.P. admitted to the offence, citing peer pressure as his reason. Ioannis V. claimed ignorance that Jean C.P. intended to drive away in the ambulance, a defence which the Antwerp Correctional Court found unconvincing.
The court considered the defendants’ criminal records when determining the sentences. Jean C.P. has six previous offences in the juvenile court, four police offences, and one correctional conviction related to drugs. Ioannis V. has four juvenile court records, two police offences, and one correctional conviction for drug-related issues.
