Anderlecht shooting trial: Honey jar defense and conflicting testimonies

On the night of March 21-22, 2025, on Bizet Square, a young man survived a gunshot wound to the abdomen thanks to first aid provided by a local restaurant owner. The case is now being examined by the 46th chamber of the Brussels correctional court, where two defendants with contradictory accounts face off. The first suspect, Bilal H., arrested shortly after the incident, was on conditional release following a twenty-one-year prison sentence in 2017 for a murder in the subway. The second, Raphaël C., a café manager, was arrested two months later by special units as he was just leaving an incarceration in France for a drug-related matter.

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At the bar, the two individuals blame each other. Bilal H. admits to driving the vehicle and picking up his co-defendant. When questioned about surveillance footage apparently showing him armed, he provided a singular explanation reported by La DH: "They were mistaken, it was a jar of honey" intended for his girlfriend. He claims he saw no weapon and assures that Raphaël C. returned to the car just after the shots. For his part, the café owner categorically denies being the shooter or even being in the vehicle that evening, justifying his phone’s presence in the car as a simple oversight. He also mentions a persistent financial dispute with the driver over the purchase of this car.

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The victim, deeply traumatized, was unable to attend the hearing. His lawyer demanded damages and interest, recalling that "a bullet in the abdomen is not a warning". She emphasized that her client lives in constant fear, especially since he has been shot at again since this event. Although Raphaël C.’s cell was searched as part of this second investigation, he is currently not being prosecuted for these recent facts. The court rejected the defense’s request to re-examine the wounded young man, and the continuation of the proceedings was set for next Wednesday.