Demesmaeker sentenced to 30 years prison and five years detention for Uyttersprot murder

The Ghent Court of Assizes sentenced Jurgen Demesmaeker to 30 years in prison and five years at the disposal of the sentencing court for the murder of Ilse Uyttersprot.

The sentencing took the jury and the three professional judges two-and-a-half hours to reach a decision.

The defence had disputed premeditation, but the civil parties and the prosecution asked that Demesmaeker be found guilty of murder. According to the jury, there was indeed premeditation. The public prosecutor saw no mitigating circumstances and demanded life imprisonment and seven years at the disposal of the sentencing court. The defence hoped for a sentence of between 20 and 25 years in prison.

"He took the life of a beautiful person"

The judgment on the sentencing referred to the seriousness of the offences. “The accused murdered his partner Ilse Uyttersprot in a particularly violent, cruel and bloody way while she slept defencelessly. He took the life of a beautiful person. Her generous smile visible in photos in the file is a true reflection of who she was.”

The relatives of Uyttersprot reacted with relief to the ​ sentence. Her mother, two sons and ex-husband were present at the verdict. “He is, and he will always be a murderer. He gets that stamp for the rest of his life. That is very important to us,” her ex-husband said.

"It was a tough few weeks," said her younger son. "What we have to feel good about is that we have also seen a beautiful image of mother through the testimonials. This is how we close this process."

_{#FlandersNewsService | Jurgen Demesmaeker ©BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK}