The family of Julie Van Espen, murdered in Antwerp in May 2019, has launched legal action against the Belgian State for failing to protect her, according to Friday’s edition of De Standaard newspaper.
The “Mission Julie/Mission Justice” initiative has received support from the Judicial College as the shock of Julie’s death continues to reverberate throughout society, including in courtrooms.
Van Espen's relatives firmly believe she would still be alive today had Belgium's court system functioned properly. They say the State failed to protect its citizens and decided to sue the government based on the conclusions of a report from the Higher Council of Justice.
The 23-year-old student was raped and murdered by Steve Bakelmans, a man with two previous rape convictions. In late 2021, Bakelmans was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Related News
- Parents of murdered student continue their quest for justice
- Julie Van Espen would 'still be alive if justice had taken responsibility,' parents say
The murder sparked considerable public outcry as Bakelmans should have been behind bars at the time of the incident. In 2017, he had been sentenced to four years in prison on rape charges. He had previously been convicted of rape in 2004 but was free at the time he murdered Van Espen as his appeal process was still pending on 4 May 2019.
Described in the judgement as an “antisocial narcissist with no sense of norms,” Bakelmans had appealed his 2017 conviction and was left free while awaiting a ruling.
In a report published in late 2019, the Higher Council of Justice strongly criticised the work of the Antwerp Court of Appeal and the Antwerp Prosecutor’s Office in this case.
