Family drama in Liège: a Moroccan tried for the murder of his son

Born in Tangier (Morocco) in 1953, Mohammed Hassar joined Liège in 1976. Father of seven children, he describes a family life marked by conflicts between his sons Faïssal and Bilal. According to him, Faïssal sought to dominate Bilal, and both lacked respect for their parents. Frequent disputes have poisoned the daily life of this Moroccan family.

Accused of having stabbed his two sons, Mohammed Hassar acknowledges the knife blows but denies any homicidal intent. Regarding Faïssal, he claims to have wanted to separate them during a dispute and to have used the knife to threaten Faïssal and put an end to the altercation. As for Bilal, he declares that he defended himself when his son attacked him and threatened his mother. "He’s my son, I didn’t intend to kill him," he argued.

Last Friday, the court heard the testimony of the accused’s daughter. A teacher, she described a normal childhood and claims never to have been abused by her parents. However, she accuses her brother Faïssal of violence and wanting to take the father’s place. According to her, Faïssal did not accept his father’s unemployment situation and considered the family’s poverty as a shame.

The daughter of Mohammed Hassar also questioned her father’s guilt. She mentioned the possibility of Bilal’s suicide, a version that her father would have confided to her in prison. According to this version, Bilal, after a dispute, would have wanted to kill his father before turning the knife against himself.