Leuven public prosecutors have lodged an appeal against the verdict in the rape case involving a Leuven gynecology student which has been causing quite a stir for several days now. ‘It is not appropriate in this case simply to suspend the conviction verdict,’ the prosecutors’ office says.
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Prosecutor appeals lack of sentence in student rape case
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On Tuesday, the 24-year-old male student was found guilty of raping a female fellow student, in November 2023. Despite the conviction no sentence was meted out. The student was found guilty. In the verdict the judge talks of ‘serious and socially unacceptable acts’ - but he was not given any sentence.
The public prosecutor had requested a three year suspended prison term. ‘The Leuven public prosecutor's office has lodged an appeal against this outcome because the public prosecutor believes that in this case it is not appropriate simply to suspend the sentence without further ado.’
This means that the case will be heard and judged again at a later date by the Brussels appeal court.
Prosecutor calls for calm
The public prosecutor's office further called for calm with regard to this case: ‘Judicial rulings can evoke strong emotions and lead to social upheaval, but this should not degenerate into the unsubtle and public targeting of any party in this trial.’
Over the past few days, there has been a lot of outrage on social media, and the perpetrator's details have been widely shared.
The prosecution stressed that anybody sharing this information could be prosecuted. ‘Disclosing personal information of a person or organisation through social media, without the consent of that person or organisation, may have criminal consequences’ the office says.