The family of a 23-year-old student that was raped and murdered in 2019 is to file a lawsuit against the Belgian state. Julie Van Espen’s family believes that failings on the part of the Justice Department lead to the 23-year-old's death at the hands of a man that had already been convicted twice in for rape in the past. They say that the Justice Department failed in its duty to protect the public. The family sees similarities with the case of the man that carried out last month’s Brussels terror attack.
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Family of woman that was raped and murdered to litigate against the Belgian state
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On 4 May 2019 Julie Van Espen was raped and murdered by Steve Bakelmans, a man with a long list of convictions for offences ranging from theft to threatening behaviour. He had also been convicted twice for rape. The case sent shockwaves across the country. In 2019 the Hich Council for Justice ruled that it was incomprehensible that it had taken so long to get Steve Bakelmans convicted.
Now Julie’s parents and siblings are using this as the basis of their lawsuit against the Belgian. They believe that the federal authorities have for many years neglected the justice system and as a result are partly responsible for what happened to Julie.
The family’s lawyer Stijn Verbist told VRT News that “The man should have been in prison on 4 May 2019. If the authorities had not failed, Julie would still be alive today.”
Similarities with the Brussels terror attack case
VRT News’ Justice Editor Helen Goedgebeur says the family see similarities with the case of Abdessalem Lassoued, the man that carried out the attack in Brussels on 16 October in which 2 Swedish football fans died. There are indeed similarities between the two cases, including cases files being left lying in cupboards, missing documents and staff shortages.
The former Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne (Flemish liberal) wrote on X (the former Twitter) that the family is correct to draw parallels between the two cases. "In both cases, a magistrate made a mistake. That is why I submitted my resignation. That is also why, after consultation with the Van Espen family, I am submitting a bill to parliament to thoroughly the criminal justice system.”
A symbolic euro’s compensation
The lawsuit has been filed, but why has the family waited until now, two years after Steve Bakelmans' conviction. “It takes time to for people to work through such a traumatic experience and the trial in the Court of Assizes that followed it”.
The family is requesting a symbolic compensation payment of 1 euro. “They are not interested in compensation. If they do receive it, they will immediately donate it to a good cause. The family further want the judge to explicitly state that mistakes have been made and the mistakes lead to Julie's death.”