A violent robbery occurred at the “Cash Converters” store in Berchem this Tuesday around 10:30 a.m. Five hooded individuals dressed in black threatened an employee with a weapon before violently attacking him. A 15-year-old minor was arrested.
The “Cash Converters” store in Berchem in the Brussels Region was the scene of a violent robbery this Tuesday morning around 10:30 a.m.
On the video surveillance that we were able to view, five hooded individuals dressed in black burst into front of the store, where an employee was. The five individuals pointed a gun at him, forcing him to enter the store.
The attack inside the store
Once inside, the five suspects began robbing Cash Converters and stealing various electronic items.
On the video surveillance images, we then see a second employee appear and try to neutralize the attackers, succeeding in tackling one to the ground. But very quickly, the four other suspects reversed course and violently attacked him, using hammers to hit him.
Arrest and investigation
The police managed to arrest one of the five suspects, a minor aged just 15 years old. The latter had already been arrested for similar acts shortly before. The other suspects are still at large.
What do the authors risk? A criminal lawyer’s response
For this type of act, the sanctions that the perpetrators face if they are apprehended differ according to their age, whether they are adults or minors. Olivier Dupont, criminal lawyer, details these differences in sentences.
“For majorsthe penal code provides for relatively heavy prison sentences”, he explains. For violent theft committed without aggravating circumstancesthe suspects risk 5 to 10 years in prison.
If aggravating circumstances are committed by the perpetrators, such as being 2 or more, in this case the penalty is 10 to 15 years of imprisonment.
If weapons were exhibitedwhether they were used or not, whether they are real or false, the penal code provides for a penalty ranging from 15 to 20 years of imprisonment.
For minor perpetrators, “their situation differs depending on whether or not they meet the conditions for divestment”, points out the criminal lawyer. If they are not previously released by the Youth Court, then in this context, they are subject to an educational measure, in particular placement in IPPJ (editor’s note, Public Institutions for Youth Protection) with a closed regime.
cash converters robbery robbery berchem berchem-sainte-agathe berchem
