Four years in prison for snack bar operator who stabbed drug criminal ‘Favela’ in Borgerhout (Borgerhout)

Jamal K. from Borgerhout was sentenced to four years in prison on Monday, after stabbing a local dealer during an argument at his snack bar on Groeningerplein. The court did not believe that the victim had fallen on the knife.

The facts took place on March 18, 2023 on Groeningerplein. Jamal K., a youth worker from the neighborhood, was busy that evening setting up a snack bar that he wanted to open on the square. The emergency services were called around 10:20 PM because a fight involving a knife was taking place.

At the scene it turned out that local resident Yassin B. (30), a notorious drug criminal nicknamed ‘Favela’, had been stabbed in the abdominal area and was in serious condition, his intestines were hanging out of his body.

“My client was pre-drinking that evening before going out,” B.’s lawyer Sam Vlaminck described the evening. Around 7 p.m. there was a first incident between Favela and Jamal K., according to K. it was because he was being verbally abused. “The confrontation flared up again and it turned out that K. was holding a knife with which he stabbed my client in the stomach,” Vlaminck said.

According to K., it was the opposing party who came with a knife and the public prosecutor’s office also believes in that theory. The prosecutor explained that K. was able to take the knife. “Instead of leaving it at that, he stabbed at least once in the abdominal area,” the prosecutor said. The prosecutor’s office found it attempted manslaughter. K. was of the opinion that it was a legal defense. He explained to the court that he was able to parry a swipe from ‘Favela’ and that this caused his attacker to fall and fall on his own knife. “Only then did I pick it up to ward off the rest.”

The court ruled on Monday that K. was guilty of the offenses and sentenced him to four years in prison. K. must pay almost 16,000 euros in compensation to the victim, the brother of ‘Favela’ will receive another 1,750 euros because he was also injured in the commotion.