A man from Lummen, Limburg, who had attempted in 2023, together with a friend, to buy a castle to host events, has been ordered by a civil court to pay the owner €4,700 in damages.
The two friends had attracted media attention at the time, calling themselves the youngest castle lords in Belgium.
However, it later emerged that the man from Lummen had forged a solvency statement and the signature of a lawyer, to purchase Gors Castle in Tongeren-Borgloon, Limburg, which was listed for €5.7 million.
The lawyer filed a complaint, and the man was sentenced to community service, a fine, and a driving ban. On appeal, he was sentenced in absentia to 18 months in prison, a €2,000 fine, and another driving ban, but he lodged an objection.
The castle owner initially demanded damages equivalent to the full purchase price but later reduced the claim to approximately €75,000, arguing that the failed sale prevented him from renting the castle for events.
During an introductory hearing, the owner's lawyer said that, “contrary to his statements to the press, the man from Lummen admitted that he had never purchased the castle.”
The judge found that the man had acted fraudulently. However, the proprietor did not receive the €75,000 he requested because his purported loss of income was not substantiated with adequate accounting records.
The court awarded him an administrative compensation of just under €5,000, in addition to a previous compensation of €4,500.
The man from Lummen's accomplice was acquitted, as his signature did not appear on the document. The real estate agent involved was also not held liable.
The castle owner and his lawyer are considering appealing the verdict.
