Three officers from the Brussels Capital-Ixelles police zone have been convicted for a chase that took place in May 2017 and resulted in the death of a young couple.
The incident occurred on 9 May 2017, when a police patrol noticed a motorcyclist with a passenger driving recklessly at around 20:30 near Place Poelaert in the city centre. The patrol went after the motorcyclist, but he fled and a chase ensued.
At the end of the Bailli tunnel, the motorcyclist drove at high speed into a patrol car of the dog brigade. The driver had reportedly heard via radio communication that a pursuit was in progress on Avenue Louise and slowed down on the right-hand lane so that the pursuit could continue on the left-hand lane.
The motorcyclist, 24-year-old Ouassim Toumi, was killed instantly, and his passenger (and girlfriend) 20-year-old Sabrina El Bakkali was seriously injured and died in hospital later that night.
Remarkable verdict
Earlier this year, the prosecutor asked for the acquittal of the three officers before the Brussels police court, stating that Toumi was solely responsible for the accident due to his reckless driving.
However, on Tuesday, a Brussels court stated that Toumi was 60% responsible, but that the three officers were 40% responsible for the fatal accident – a remarkable ruling given that the prosecution had asked for the acquittal of the officers involved.
"This is a clear signal to the police in the field: you cannot put up with such behaviour. So I am very happy with the verdict. It is also exceptional for police officers to receive an effective punishment," Joke Callewaert, a lawyer for the victims, told VRT.
The inspector of the dog brigade received the harshest sentence: ten months, half of which was effective and half of which was suspended, plus a suspended fine. The court argued that his vehicle was an unpredictable obstacle, and he made several errors of judgment.
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The officers who pursued the victims received eight and five months respectively, half of which was suspended. They too were insufficiently careful, the court ruled. The officers can still appeal.
The lawyers for the civil parties, representing the families of Toumi and El Bakkali, who have always argued that the chase was disproportionate and therefore unjustified, welcomed the verdict. It remains unclear why Toumi, who did not have a criminal record, did not stop for the police.
Michel Goovaerts, chief of police of the Brussels Capital Region Ixelles where the three officers work, commented on the verdict stating he "maintains confidence in the police inspectors and supports all colleagues who work day in and day out for a safer society".
