Former Moroccan karate champion faces life imprisonment in Belgium over the death of his 3-year-old son

The jury is scheduled to be constituted on September 23 before the Luxembourg Assize Court in Arlon, ahead of the opening of the proceedings on September 28. Mohammed Taoussi will have to answer for the murder of his son, as well as deprivation of food and care and intentional assault and battery, according to the case file details reported by Sudinfo.

Wassim was 3 years and 5 months old when he died on November 25, 2023. Found unconscious at the family home in Habay-la-Vieille, he was taken to Arlon Hospital, where several hours of resuscitation failed to save him.

The death of little Wassim and the arrest of his father had already caused strong emotion in Belgium. A few hours after the death, someone close to the child’s mother contacted the police to express concerns about the father’s behavior.

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An autopsy was then ordered. Mohammed Taoussi was arrested a few days later and placed under an arrest warrant. He has remained in pretrial detention ever since.

According to the prosecution, Wassim died from severe bleeding inside the skull caused by several blows or impacts to the head. Other injuries were also allegedly discovered on his body.

The investigation also examined several earlier injuries. In April 2022, the child had been taken to the emergency room for a shoulder injury. In spring 2023, he had been hospitalized for several weeks for a displaced femur fracture, for which several explanations were allegedly given regarding its origin.

Neighbors also allegedly stated that they had regularly heard Mohammed Taoussi yell at his son, as well as noises suggesting slaps. Relatives also claim to have witnessed him hitting the child, particularly when Wassim refused to eat. The father disputes these accusations.

From high-level karate to an assize court trial

Born in 1994 in Morocco, Mohammed Taoussi practiced karate at a high level in the Kingdom. A national champion several times, he joined the Moroccan team and took part in international competitions. Those around him in the sport described him at the time as disciplined and respectful.

He arrived in Belgium in 2017 to pursue his career, where he met Norma Prester, with whom he had Wassim in June 2020. After the couple separated, the young woman died at the age of 28 in a road accident on February 27, 2023. Mohammed Taoussi was then left alone with his son.

According to some relatives, his behavior toward the child gradually changed after this death. The case file nevertheless presents another image of the father: at school, Mohammed Taoussi was described as attentive and concerned about Wassim’s development. No member of staff is said to have witnessed any violence.

Autistic traits were suspected in the child, without a definitive diagnosis. The prosecution believes that the hostility the father allegedly felt toward his son because of these presumed autistic traits constitutes a discriminatory motive, an aggravating circumstance that could raise the sentence to life imprisonment.

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Mohammed Taoussi denies having hit, mistreated, or killed his son. His lawyer, Me Marc Kauten, particularly emphasizes testimonies from the school and the Youth Assistance Service describing his client as an attentive father.

The defense had already sought, after his indictment, to have the people who had been in contact with the father and his child heard. It now intends to determine precisely what happened in the days preceding Wassim’s death.

The jurors will therefore have to decide between two radically opposing versions: that of the prosecution, which refers to repeated violence that led to the child’s death, and that of Mohammed Taoussi, who rejects these accusations.