Police capture fugitive sex offender featured on Belgium’s Most Wanted list

Andy De Wolf (35), a convicted fugitive wanted for violent and sexual offences, has been arrested, the federal police announced on Friday. He had been on Belgium’s Most Wanted list since the end of May.

In 2021, De Wolf's former partner informed the police about him, claiming that she had been controlled, humiliated and beaten throughout their three-year relationship, even during her pregnancy. She also claimed that he had forced her to have sex with other men, including his 51-year-old uncle, who confessed and received a 30-month suspended prison sentence.

Investigators later interviewed other former partners. Seven of the women described similar instances of abuse, including rape, and alleged that De Wolf targeted vulnerable women.

Conviction

On 7 April, De Wolf was sentenced in Antwerp to eight years in prison and ten years of judicial supervision by the Sentence Enforcement Court for severe acts of psychological, physical, and sexual violence against multiple victims, including a minor.

Following the verdict last month, De Wolf went on the run. The Antwerp public prosecutor’s office immediately began an active search. Initially, the local police took on the case, and were later joined by the Fugitive Active Search Team (FAST) of the federal police.

In late May, De Wolf was added to Belgium’s Most Wanted list, featuring the country’s most sought-after criminals. The wider public attention led to several tips, ultimately resulting in the discovery of his hideout in Grobbendonk, in the province of Antwerp. According to police, he was staying with individuals from his close circle.

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