The nine teenagers found guilty of the brutal gang rape of a 14-year-old girl in Kortrijk in 2024 have been given conditional release and community service
The juvenile court in Kortrijk has found nine teenagers guilty of gang rape in a case that shocked Flanders when it was reported two years ago. The case, dating to the spring of 2024, involved a total of 11 boys identified in the rape of a 14-year-old girl three separate times.
The girl’s boyfriend, aged 16 at the time, took her to a forested area between the E17 and a dilapidated social housing estate. Several of his friends were waiting there, and the group submitted the girl to a brutal gang rape.
Using a series of threats, her boyfriend forced her into the forest on two other occasions in the ensuing days, where she underwent the same attacks. Following the third attack, she found the courage to report the crime to the police.
She has been to hell and back over and over, and will carry this trauma with her for the rest of her life
Attorney Elise Standaert
The girl was able to identify 11 suspects. The eldest boys involved in the rape were 16, the youngest was just 11. He was deemed too young to appear in court, and another boy was also investigated and not charged. The other nine have now been found guilty of rape.
“It was extremely confronting for her to see all the suspects again,” said the girl’s lawyer, Elise Standaert. “Her life is simply ruined, she is not the same teenager she once was. She has been to hell and back over and over, and will carry this trauma with her for the rest of her life.”
The court found that her former boyfriend instigated the entire ordeal and found him guilty of issuing threats as well as rape. He was commited to a security youth facility following the incidents, but the youth court judge decided to place him on conditional release for the next two years.
“My client is following a program to learn how to deal with sexuality and relationships,” said his lawyer, Thomas Vandemeulebroucke. “He must also attend school and not come into contact with the victim.” If the offender breaks any of the terms of his release, he must return to a correctional facility.
One of the other eight perpetrators must follow this same program. The rest received 30 hours of community service. One of them must also follow a drug rehab program.
The victim has been awarded €15,000 in damages, and an expert has been assigned to her case to determine if this amount should be increased.