Belgium stepfather guilty but unpunished in children’s death accident

The tragedy unfolded on February 13, 2021 on the N58 express road in Mouscron. Traveling at extremely high speed, the vehicle driven by the 44-year-old ended its course against a lamppost. This extremely violent impact killed instantly the two passengers seated in the rear of the vehicle, Louhan and his little sister Leyla, aged 8 and 4 respectively.

On Bladi.net : Mouscron Tragedy: 5-Year Prison Sentence for Stepfather in Fatal Chase

On Thursday, the Tournai criminal court issued a simple declaration of guilt against the driver. Although the public prosecutor requested five years in prison for obstruction of traffic and involuntary manslaughter, the judges imposed no sentence, citing the breach of reasonable time limits. The 44-year-old man, still in a relationship with the mother of the young victims, still suffers from severe physical and psychological consequences related to this accident.

This tragic outcome resulted from a minor collision in the parking lot of a large shopping center in Dottignies. Noticing that his bumper was on the ground, the stepfather initiated a chase to catch up with the fleeing driver. According to information reported by Belga, this other motorist was driving a vehicle registered in France and was only 17 years old at the time of the tragedy. He will have to answer for the same facts before the youth court, as part of this particularly lengthy procedure. Faced with the delays in the case, the prosecution itself noted at the hearing: "The Strépy case took less time."