Thirty-something who harasses young woman on train is interned (Antwerp)

A man in his thirties who molested a young woman on a train to Antwerp two years ago is being interned. The criminal court in Antwerp decided this. The man also injured a security officer at Securail.

The facts date from May 14, 2022. A then 21-year-old girl had taken the train from Sint-Niklaas to Antwerp that day. Somewhere along the way, André VW (31) sat close to her and asked if she wanted to come with him to Turnhout. She refused, but W. replied that he wouldn’t take no for an answer and put his hand on her leg.

When she arrived at Central Station, she had asked other travelers out of fear if they wanted to accompany her to the counters. VW continued to follow her and shouted for her to come with him. If she didn’t want to, he would try with someone else. VW had also harassed someone else on the train, she had the impression that he was looking for a young girl.

Some Securail security officers intervened, but VW became aggressive and punched one of them. He was stopped by the police shortly afterwards, but a police officer was also injured in a skirmish. She was unable to work for seven days, the security officer turned out to be unable to work for eight days.

At the time of the facts, VW was staying in a psychiatric center in East Flanders. The court psychiatrist’s report showed that he suffered from a mental disorder due to substance use. According to the expert, internment was necessary. At the hearing, the prosecutor followed that position, although the defense asked not to comment on it.

According to VW, he was now undergoing treatment to prevent him from relapsing into his addictions and the mental disorder had disappeared. He had already compensated the victims. Because no expert report had been submitted showing that VW’s mental disorder had passed, the court still decided to intern the man. “In the absence of adequate psychiatric treatment, the defendant poses a danger to society,” the court states in its judgment.

(jtp)