“We are relieved but also very combative”: family of Julie Van Espen reacts after “historic verdict” (Lier)

At the press conference, Van Espen’s family took extensive time to read from the verdict, so that its contents would be sufficiently known to the population. Father Erik Van Espen then spoke. He mainly describes his feeling about the verdict as relieved.

“Relieved is a good word, but also combative. This is an important day. We will not get Julie back, but the fact that the court recognizes that justice has made mistakes and that she would not have died if those mistakes had not been made has a healing effect on us. This statement ensures that Julie’s death was not in vain. We have once again moved a stone in the river of justice,” says Erik Van Espen.

“You know that we have been striving to improve justice for almost six years,” he continues. “This ruling ensures that Julie’s death was not in vain. For us it comes down to this: we have once again moved a stone in the river of justice. And that is very important for us, but not only for us. It is also future-oriented for many other people. It shows that you can point out errors, especially if you have a good file. Justice must dare to look in the mirror and admit mistakes. That has happened and that is why I dare to say: finally, finally. Finally the government is able to admit its mistakes. Finally, justice will protect all people.”

The family “can now move on,” Erik added. “And we will continue to fight for a better judicial landscape in Belgium. Julie wouldn’t have it any other way.”

No higher compensation

Stijn Verbist, the lawyer for the Van Espen family, spoke of a “historic verdict” after the announcement. “This is a stinging criticism of the years of austerity policy of the Belgian State towards the Ministry of Justice.” Verbist said he expects apologies on three levels. “We naturally expect an apology to Julie’s family and to her many friends and acquaintances. But also apologies to the magistrates of the Court of Appeal in Antwerp. Years of austerity policies too often force them to work in undignified conditions. And finally, apologies to the entire Belgian population. Justice is the backbone of our society. The democratic constitutional state must be put at the top of the political agenda. It can and must be better.”

Brother Andreas supported him at the press conference. “An apology would be very nice if that could still happen. The people who are liable in this file know this about themselves. We’re not going to mention names. We hope that the apology will come spontaneously, we are not going to insist on it.”

The judiciary has decided not to appeal the verdict. “In a long judgment, the judge examined, consideration by consideration, fact by fact, and ultimately identified two possible errors, namely the understaffing of the Court of Appeal on the one hand, and the fact that the Court of Appeal itself did not review the perpetrator’s file. has not sufficiently followed up,” said Federal Minister of Justice Paul Van Tigchelt in a response. “I am very humbled by this. We recognize the mistakes of the justice system, we recognize the untold suffering for which the justice system is partly responsible.”

Because there will be no appeal, Verbist announced at the press conference that no new procedure would be started to seek higher compensation than the one euro provisional compensation that has now been awarded. “That was suggested, but it won’t happen. The lawsuit was purely principled and forward-looking.”

Belgian State responsible

The verdict means that parents Erik Van Espen and Kaat De Wilde have met their demand to hold the Belgian State partly liable for the rape and murder of their daughter. He was murdered on May 4, 2019 by Steve Bakelmans, under the Theunis Bridge in Antwerp, who was still able to stand there due to errors by the judiciary despite previous sexual offences. After all, his appeal had not yet been heard. The room in question that was supposed to handle his case was closed due to structural understaffing. No one thought Bakelmans’ file was urgent enough to bring him before another judge. As a result, the man was still at large and was able to commit the atrocity.