A 28-year-old man has been arrested as a suspect in a brutal home invasion and rape in Sint-Niklaas. The arrest, in Antwerp, comes barely three days after the distribution of an investigation notice.
The facts themselves date back to Sunday, March 3. Around 9 p.m., an unknown man rang the victim’s doorbell, a 69-year-old woman in Sint-Niklaas. The moment the woman opened the door, she was immediately grabbed and dragged into the middle of the living room. The woman was groped all over her body and received several severe blows to the face. The suspect told the victim that he did this at the behest of the voices in his head.
Train to Antwerp
After a while, the man left the house, leaving the victim injured. He made off with cash and the victim’s cell phone. The investigation showed that the man had fled to the station and that he took the train in the direction of Antwerp. He was clearly visible on camera images in various places.
Those images were distributed in an investigation report on Sunday after the investigating judge in Dendermonde decided that it was time to call in the public’s help. With success, as it turns out barely three days later. “Following the investigation report, some useful tips were received,” says the East Flanders public prosecutor’s office. “On this basis, a suspect, a 28-year-old man from Somalia, could be identified and arrested.” This happened after his identity was spread within the police services, and a team from the Antwerp police zone was able to catch the man. He was subsequently transferred to the police in Sint-Niklaas and will be brought before the investigating judge in Dendermonde on Wednesday afternoon.
(sare)
Tags: Suspect rape SintNiklaas arrested Antwerp Antwerp days search report
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