Man sentenced to 12 years in prison for rape of student on ULB campus
The Brussels Correctional Court has sentenced a man to 12 years in prison and five years’ probation for the rape of a student on the Université Libre de Bruxelles campus in Ixelles in 2022. A psychiatric report concluded that the man, Yannick F, constituted a danger to the public and presented a high risk of re-offending.
The 25-year-old, who has no fixed address, was found guilty of raping the 21-year-old bioengineering student on the evening of 28 December 2022. He threatened, beat and raped her as she left a building on the campus, as well as extorting money from her.
A police investigation found that the man had been loitering on the campus for several years. In 2021, two female students filed a complaint against him for indecent exposure.
In September 2022, he was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment for assault and battery resulting in death without intent, following a fight with another homeless man on the site of the Delta hospital in Auderghem. He was conditionally released shortly after sentencing, having served half his sentence in pre-trial detention, and by October he had returned to the campus.
“The sentence may seem high, but for a victim it’s never enough,” said prosecution lawyer Caroline Poiré. “As far as I’m concerned, this sentence is not exemplary; it’s a fair sentence, based on the facts of the case, and every case is different. Factors such as the seriousness of the facts have been taken into account, as has the attitude of the defendant and his criminal record.”
Lawyer Caroline Poiré talks to the press during the trial of Yannick F © BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK
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