A court in Ghent has sentenced 2 Dutch nationals to 4 and 2 years in prison in connection with the death by drowning of Hakim Mutyaba in the summer of 2022. Mutyaba was thrown into the water of a canal during the Ghent Festival. He could not swim and drowned. The Dutchmen were found guilty of unintentional killing and culpable negligence. ‘They simply allowed the man to drown,’ the judge ruled.
‘It was daylight. Both defendants could see that the victim could not swim. They did not intervene,’ the judge added. Their guilt weighs more heavily because Mutyaba was drunk at the time and more vulnerable.
The Dutchmen, who threw Mutyaba over the railing into the water, was also found guilty of grievous bodily harm resulting in death. The facts happened after an evening out at the Ghent Festival, in July 2022. The perpetrators were under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Mutyaba had tried to hold onto the railing but ended up in the water.
The perpetrators, aged 27 and 25, received jail terms of four and two years, in line with what the prosecution had demanded. The victim's family had called for a trial before the courts of assizes, where heavier sentences could be meted out.
The perpetrators must also pay damages of almost 60,000 euros. In the ruling, the judge took into account their young age and absence of a criminal record. The fact that one of the offenders had a challenging childhood as well as drug issues was also taken into account.