Belgian Court Gives Suspended Sentence to Elderly Moroccan Man for 2016 Knife Attack

The Moroccan from Wavre, highly respected in the neighborhood, crossed paths in May 2016 in a Moroccan grocery store with a compatriot who, against all odds, owed him a debt. The reunion did not go well.

The man, who nonetheless seemed calm, went home before returning to the store to verbally assault the other Moroccan. After they were ejected from the store by the manager, the two protagonists found themselves next to a van where they continued their argument. It was at this point that the 79-year-old man brandished a knife he had taken from his pocket and stabbed his counterpart in the chest.

The victim, seriously injured, was placed in intensive care for several days before recovering his health. However, he stated before the Brabant Wallon criminal court that he still has after-effects from this assault.

The septuagenarian was prosecuted for attempted murder. Arrested, he flatly denied trying to end the victim’s life. His lawyers pleaded guilty to intentional assault and battery, and asked the judge to reclassify the facts, stating that the victim would also have assaulted the defendant in the head.

The court does not share this version of the defense. In its decision handed down on Thursday, it confirmed that the attempted murder is proven and sentenced the defendant to 40 months suspended prison, given his situation and advanced age.