Bruges magistrates have handed influencer Acid (Nathan Vandergunst) a 3-month suspended prison sentence suspended for 3-years following his conviction for mentioning the names of (former) members of the student fraternity Reuzegom in a YouTube video. Acid must also pay a fine of 800 euros as well as provisional damages of 20,000 euros to the parents of the former Reuzegom member, who took him to court after their restaurant was pestered after that video.
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Sanda Dia death: suspended sentence for influencer Acid after naming (former) Reuzegom fraternity members on YouTube
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Acid seemed nervous ahead of the hearing in which he would learn the judge's verdict. A possible jail sentence, fine and damages were on the cards. "I fear they are going to hit me financially," he said.
Acid was on trial after a controversial YouTube video in which he had mentioned the names of (former) members of the Reuzegom fraternity and faced charges of electronic stalking, slander and defamation and violations of the laws on sharing personal data online. At the end of the day, he was convicted only of electronic stalking.
The judge handed down a suspended prison sentence of 3 months suspended for 3 years. Acid does not have to go to jail unless he commits a further offence. He does have to pay an 800-euro fine to the government’s victims' fund.
(Preliminary) damages of 20,000 euros
The parents of the Reuzegom member who had sued Vandergunst also asked for compensation of 200,000 euro. They own a restaurant in Antwerp and experienced fake reservations and numerous negative reviews after the video was posted.
The court followed their reasoning and imposed provisional damages of 20,000 euros on Vandergunst. The court also appointed an expert to investigate the economic damage to the restaurant. Final damages could be even higher.
Acid: "Money always wins"
"I don't have to go to jail, but it's still a jail sentence," said a stricken Vandergunst in an initial reaction after the verdict. "Compensation of 20,000 euros? That is money that I would have preferred to see appear on the account of Sanda Dia's family rather than in the account of the family that had a stake in erasing traces after the student hazing. But money always wins in Belgium."
The case at the heart of the matter
At the end of May last year, Nathan Vandergunst - better known as Acid - shared a YouTube video in which he named 4 (former) members of the Reuzegom fraternity by name. He showed pictures and shared their occupation. The names he mentioned included some former members of the fraternity, who were not charged in connection with the death of student Sanda Dia following a hazing organised by the Reuzegom fraternity.
The video was viewed hundreds of thousands of times before YouTube removed it and (temporarily) suspended Vandergunst.
Public prosecutors decided not to open an investigation, but the lawyer of one of the former members of the fraternity did decide to subpoena Acid directly to face charges of electronic stalking, slander and defamation as well as violations of the law around sharing personal data online.