The Brussels public prosecutor has demanded long prison sentences in the trial of two young men accused of acts of homophobic violence. A 15-year prison sentence has been demanded for Rayan R. He is considered to be the main offender in the case. A 6-year prison sentence has been demanded for Anas T.
Lengthy custodial sentences demanded at trial of young men accused of homophobic attacks
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The accused, aged 20 and 19, are on trial for physically assaulting men for no other reason than their sexual orientation. The victims were approached via the dating app Grindr. The offences took place in Brussels between 7 April and 23 June 2024.
The accused allegedly arranged dates with their victims. When the victims turned up for what they thought was going to be a date they were brutally beaten and robbed. The public prosecutor's office has asked the court to convict the Rayan R. and Anas T. of grievous bodily harm aggravated by the fact that ther motive was discriminatory, in this case against gay men. The two suspects also stand accused of threats, false imprisonment, possession of weapons, extortion and computer fraud.
Rayan R. (20) is said to have been involved in all 8 attacks and to have organised them. Anas T. (19) is said to have been involved in three attacks. A minor is also suspected of being involved in certain offences related to the case. He will have to answer to a juvenile court.
Speaking in court the public prosecutor said "I have heard nothing but trivialisations from the defendants. They have committed homophobic attacks and they have attacked people because of their sexual orientation. The law provides for such offences to be punished very severely. This is just as serious as murder”.
In court the two defendants maintained that in court that they had not targeted gay men but wanted to attack paedophiles.