The 41-year-old man who was deprived of his liberty on Tuesday was released, but charged with kidnapping a minor, the Charleroi prosecutor’s office confirmed this Wednesday afternoon.
The homeless man suspected of having kidnapped little Maya, who disappeared in Charleroi on Sunday, was released on Tuesday. He was charged with kidnapping a minor, communicates the Charleroi King’s Prosecutor’s Office. “The investigating judge charged the suspect with kidnapping a minor under the age of 12, but did not place the individual under arrest warrant”.
The 41-year-old man was deprived of his liberty after being found in an abandoned house with the 9-year-old girl, who was hard of hearing and visually impaired.
According to information collected by our colleagues at Sudinfo, the man was squatting in this house. To the investigating judge, he explained that he had met the little girl, while he had been drinking, and that he had thought that she was an adult and on the street. So that she does not spend the night outside in the cold, the homeless man allegedly offered to accompany Maya to her squat.
“The indictment of this count is justified by the inappropriate reaction, the fact of not having warned the authorities of the discovery of the child, on the part of the suspect which could be explained in particular by the marginal situation in which he finds himself and by altered state at the time of the encounter by substance use“, explains the prosecution.
Ultimately, he was not charged with sexual misconduct. “At this stage, there are no elements, neither objective nor factual, which allowed the investigating judge to charge the individual with assault on sexual integrity.“, specifies the prosecution.
“The investigation continues and further investigative duties are planned“, he concludes.
His disappearance was reported Sunday evening. Monday morning, we learned that the little girl had been found in an abandoned house in the company of a 41-year-old man.
It hurts me very much
In the neighborhood, where we know the little girl well, incomprehension reigns. “There are a lot of people who are in shock because it’s already happening in a neighborhood where there had never been a problem. A little 9-year-old girl, no, that’s not possible”says a resident of the neighborhood. “It hurts me a lot, it really affects me”said another.
According to some neighbors, this was not the first time that the little girl had run away. They say she is often outside and sometimes even takes the bus alone when she runs away.
maya charleroi disappearance montignies-sur-sambre
Related News :