The Brussels court of first instance considered that the Antwerp court of appeal had taken too long to judge the perpetrator, a repeat offender and already convicted of rape, on appeal. He was not incarcerated while awaiting trial.
The Belgian Minister of Justice concedes that “if these errors had not been made, this tragedy could undoubtedly have been avoided.” This Thursday, December 19, the Belgian state was found responsible for the rape and murder of Julie Van Espen, by the Brussels court of first instance, reports RTBF.
According to the latter, errors made by the Antwerp Court of Appeal caused an appeal trial by the perpetrator to drag on.
Julie Van Espen, 23, was raped and killed in May 2019 by a man who was a repeat offender and already convicted of rape. He was waiting for another appeal trial without being incarcerated, recalls La Voix du Nord.
No “sufficient number of personnel”
For the victim's family, the man should have been in prison that day. “These errors are partly attributable to the executive power, which failed to ensure that the Antwerp Court of Appeal had sufficient staff, and which thus definitively deprived the Van Espen family of the possibility of avoiding the loss of their daughter and her sister”, writes the court of first instance of Brussels.
Reacting to this decision, the Minister of Justice confirmed that “errors were made”. “If these errors had not been made, this tragedy could undoubtedly have been avoided,” added Minister Paul Van Tigchlet in comments reported by RTBF.
“There is unspeakable and irreparable suffering caused to Julie Van Espen and her family, and justice is responsible for it,” he commented.
“We made mistakes”
The Belgian state subsequently announced that it would not appeal his conviction. The Antwerp Court of Appeal recognized that the rape case of the perpetrator before the assassination of Julie Van Espen should have been handled “with more care and more quickly” despite the lack of resources at the time. time, details the Belga press agency.
“We made mistakes without which the Van Espen family could have been spared this immense suffering,” the Antwerp Court of Appeal declared this Thursday.
According to Paul Van Tigchelt, significant developments have been made in the fight against sexual violence in Belgium since the death of Julie Van Espen. Speaking to RTBF, the minister cites in particular the new sexual penal code which provides for more severe penalties for perpetrators as well as treatment centers for victims of sexual violence.
After the verdict, Julie Van Espen's family indicated that they would not seek damages beyond the symbolic euro, according to Le Soir.
