Seven years in prison for “infamous” homophobic assaults

A 20-year-old man was sentenced to Brussels on Wednesday to seven years’ imprisonment for a series of homophobic assaults after appointments fixed via a meeting application, “infamous crimes” according to the court.

The facts date back to spring 2024. Nevertheless, A total of eight men had been trapped by being approached via the Grindr application, popular with the gay community.

The meetings were set in Brussels parks. Moreover, generally in the evening, and once there these homosexuals found themselves not facing a man but at least two.

They were generously insulted, threatened, sometimes with a knife, before being beaten. Some have been extorted their credit card, with the secret code, or their mobile phone.

In his judgment. the Brussels Criminal Court pointed out “infamous crimes in a plural society”, believing that the homophobic nature of the aggressions was in doubt.

“Only homosexual men were the target seven years prison “infamous” homophobic of these violent acts,” said the president of the court. She also denounced “free violence” mixing “hatred and contempt”.

The main defendant, Rayan R., 20, was sentenced to seven years in prison, while Anas T., 19, considered “the follower”, received a sentence of three years in prison, two of which were suspended.

Last month, the prosecution requested fifteen and six years in prison respectively against them.

But for at least one of the eight assaults. their participation was not clearly established, there was doubt about the identity of the authors, according to the court.

There is a third alleged attacker in the file. but he was a minor at the time of the events and will be tried by a youth court, in a separate trial.

“It is a half-fig half-grape result,” reacted to AFP Bruno Dayez, lawyer for Rayan R.

He regretted that the court did not take into account a psychiatric expertise which reported seven years prison “infamous” homophobic the difficulties of his client. at the time of the facts. “In the street” and “in a brief phase of complete delirium”, according to the lawyer.

Rayan R.. currently incarcerated, had not been extracted from prison Wednesday to attend the judgment of the judgment, due to a national strike in public services.

As for Anas T.. who appeared free to the trial, he should not return to prison after having carried out a period of preventive detention.