78-year-old Hans D., who is suspected of the murder in 1994 of his then wife Annie De Poortere in Sint-Martens-Latem, “is fully cooperating” with the investigation. This is what his lawyer Ashley Bickx says, who does not yet want to make any substantive statement about the file.
Due to the holiday on Wednesday, the suspect remained in Dendermonde prison awaiting the installation of his ankle monitor, but has now left it under electronic surveillance.
Annie De Poortere was buried in the garden for thirty years. — © if
On Saturday, April 27, the remains of a body were found in Kerkstraat in Sint-Martens-Latem during renovation work next to the former home of Annie De Poortere, who disappeared on November 12, 1994. Based on “several strong indications”, the public prosecutor’s office suspects shows that the remains belong to the then 48-year-old woman. An investigating judge was summoned to investigate the death and the woman’s family was informed.
De Poortere’s then husband, the now 78-year-old Hans D., was arrested and extensively interrogated. The woman’s relatives were told that the man admitted that he hid the body, but that he denied that he killed the woman. The investigation must reveal what his actual role was in the victim’s death, says the public prosecutor’s office, which does not provide further details.
The investigating judge decided on Tuesday to arrest the man on suspicion of murder and place him under electronic surveillance. He will appear before the council chamber in Ghent on Friday, but it has not yet been decided whether he will be present in person.
The council chamber will decide on the arrest, possibly further under electronic supervision. The suspect is not obliged to be present at the hearing and can be represented by his lawyer. “My client is now under electronic surveillance at home after being held in jail on Wednesday pending the installation of the ankle monitor. We have not yet decided whether he will be present in the council chamber,” says his lawyer Ashley Bickx.
The man was not imposed any condition that would prevent him from talking to the press if he comes to the council chamber himself on Friday. The hearing itself takes place behind closed doors, but suspects who are not transferred from the cell pass through the public areas of the courthouse.
Autopsy
The autopsy on the victim’s remains will take place on Thursday, but the public prosecutor’s office will not provide any details about the investigation for the time being. Due to the recent change in the law regarding the limitation period for murder, which was increased from 20 to 30 years, the court has until November 12 to bring the suspect to justice. “My client is fully cooperating with the investigation. It is still too early to say anything about the content of the case, because there are still many matters that need to be further investigated,” says the lawyer.
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