Five arrested in Belgium for the group rape of a teenager who later committed suicide

Five people have been arrested and brought to justice in Belgium after the suicide of a 14-year-old teenager, which could be linked to a rape followed by the dissemination of video images on social networks, Belgian media reported Tuesday.

The prosecutor's office in Ghent, in Flanders (Dutch-speaking north), has confirmed the arrest of five young people, two adults and three minors, suspected of “events that occurred shortly before the death of the victim.”

However, he declined to comment on media reports, which say an investigation has been opened for “rape”, “indecent assault” as well as “taking and disseminating images that may undermine integrity”.

After their arrest, “the two adults were imprisoned and the three minors admitted” to specialized institutions, simply indicated a communication officer from the Prosecutor's Office who was joined by AFP.

“Atrocious. There is no word for that,” the justice minister, the Flemish liberal Vincent Van Quickenborne, reacted on Twitter.

He promised that the culprits would be punished and invited all victims of sexual violence to file a complaint and seek help from specialized professionals.

The images were disseminated on the networks

The facts date from mid-May. According to Flemish media, a 14-year-old girl committed suicide four days after she was gang-raped in a Ghent cemetery during which her attackers filmed the scene.

The images were later broadcast on the internet, which would have been the trigger for the suicide, according to the adolescent's father, whose testimony was collected by the Flemish newspaper Het Nieuwsblad.

“These images were the straw that broke the camel's back for her, (…) her whole world collapsed,” she told this newspaper.. Thanks to the images released, investigators were able to track down the alleged attackers.

According to the first elements of the investigation reported by various media, the teenager, residing in Gavere, had gone to Ghent thinking that she had a meeting with just one friend.

Increase in aggressions

Upon arrival at the meeting place, in a cemetery, this friend was joined by four other youths, all five of whom allegedly participated in the attack.

Not to mention a case of filmed rape, the Child Focus association noted a recent sharp increase in online attacks on the “sexual integrity” of minors (abusive text messages or exchanges, dissemination of unauthorized images, financial blackmail, etc.).

In 2020, due in particular to the first lockdown linked to the coronavirus pandemic, the number of open files on such cases increased by 65% compared to 2019, the association said.