Brussels Court Acquits Teen in Anderlecht Riot Case, Citing Insufficient Evidence

The young man does not admit to having thrown a paving stone at the rear door of a police vehicle during the riots that occurred in Anderlecht on April 11. The court took note of the images filmed of the scene. For the judge, these images suffer from certainty in the sense that they do not attest that the defendant is really the one seen in the video throwing a paving stone, reports La Dernière Heure.

Also, the court noted that the partial correspondence, based on a common clothing (a black down jacket and a hood), was not sufficient to establish the guilt of the 18-year-old. Not to mention the plausibility of the explanation given by the accused. He said he fled to avoid another confinement check.

However, the young man, domiciled in Koekelberg, had admitted to having taken many walks on the public highway in Molenbeek-Saint-Jean and Brussels. This is what justifies the many reports against him.

For the court, there is no need to condemn him for his nonchalance. Walking was allowed to a certain extent, and stopping for a moment to greet people on his way could not be condemnable, as long as there was no gathering, the judge ruled.