Belgian Father Accused of Starving 3-Year-Old Son to Death Changes Legal Counsel

Lawyers De Coster and Lissoir will no longer be defending Mohammed Taoussi, indicted for the murder of his son Wassim. The defendant has entrusted this task to Marc Kauten. "I have just been consulted by Mr. Taoussi. I am succeeding Maîtres De Coster and Lissoir. I will become familiar with the first elements shortly. The accusations are particularly serious, the investigation is very delicate to conduct," confirms the Arlon lawyer to La Dernière Heure. His colleague De Coster also confirmed this information. The reasons for the change of defense are, for the moment, unknown.

The Arlon criminal lawyer has already started working. "It is quite normal for investigations to take place. On our side, I am preparing a request for additional duties which mainly aims to hear the people who have been in contact with Mr. and the child and who will be able to describe how he behaved. This will notably involve hearing the school principal and teaching staff, the medical staff of the Arlon hospital where Mr. accompanied his son last March," he says. He will add that it "is up to these people to provide details on how Mr. took care of the child."

Marc Kauten says he has also contacted Mohammed Taoussi’s family in Morocco, who are also awaiting answers. These people "are devastated by the accusations made against Mr. I told them that we had to wait for the main duties to be carried out in order to be able to take a position. They are consulting me to support him, but are not declaring themselves a civil party for the moment. We trust the work of justice and we intend to collaborate so that the truth emerges," continues the lawyer.

Born in Arlon on June 2, 2020, Wassim died in the same city on Saturday, November 25, 2023 at the age of 3. He was buried in the Muslim section of Habay-la-Vieille. His father Mohammed is suspected of particularly atrocious crimes. After his arrest, he was placed in pre-trial detention.