Man who set wife on fire arrested after falling from roof
The 35-year-old man who set his wife on fire in Houthalen-Helchteren on Thursday was arrested in the early hours of Saturday morning after falling from the roof of a house where he had barricaded himself.
Around 23:15 on Friday, police cordoned off the area around an empty house for sale on Kazernelaan. Using a drone, officers had located the electric scooter the suspect used to flee the scene two days earlier. The man had climbed onto the roof of the building and threatened to jump. Mayor Alain Yzermans confirmed that police, fire services, and a negotiating team were on site and attempted to persuade him to come down voluntarily for more than an hour.
At around 01:50, he fell several floors with a loud impact. Emergency services provided first aid on site before transferring him to East Limburg Hospital. The public prosecutor’s office confirmed the man’s arrest and hospitalisation on Saturday morning. He will be brought before the investigating judge as soon as his condition allows.
Initial attack
On Thursday, the man doused his ex-partner with accelerant and set her on fire in the presence of their children. The 41-year-old woman suffered life-threatening burns and was taken to the burn centre in Leuven for treatment. Her life remains in danger.
A criminal investigation has been opened for attempted murder. The man was serving a prison sentence but was on penitentiary leave at the time of the attack. This temporary release was due to overcrowding in the prison, according to information obtained by our editors from a reliable source.
History of convictions
In total, the man has been convicted ten times. These include seven traffic violations, one conviction for receiving stolen goods, one for possession of prohibited weapons and one instance of serious domestic violence. In that case, he kicked his heavily pregnant wife in the stomach and knocked out her teeth. He was sentenced to 37 months in prison for the assault.
There had also been earlier reports of domestic violence. On the morning of the attack, police had already visited the family following a report of aggression. A report was drawn up, but officers decided not to detain the man at that time. Not long after, he carried out his brutal murder attempt.
Justice minister Annelies Verlinden (CD&V) noted that the man would still be in prison under the provisions of an emergency plan she proposed several months ago to address prison overcrowding.
#FlandersNewsService | © PHOTO ARTERRA
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