21-year-old EO gets two years in prison, of which ten months are effective, because he robbed a man in serious need of his bank card. He used it to make purchases worth more than 2,000 euros while leaving the victim to his fate in his apartment for three days. “The police thought he was dead,” the prosecutor said.
On July 25 last year, the victim had not shown up at his regular café for three days, causing the café owner to raise the alarm. The man, who has serious mental problems, was eventually found on the floor of his apartment. “He was naked wrapped in a blanket and a rope from a bathrobe was still tied around his wrist,” the Public Prosecution Service described.
The victim was in a coma for several days and remembered little of what had happened. Investigation showed that between July 22 and 28, purchases and cash withdrawals worth 2,385 euros were made with his bank card. This is how the accused EO (21) came into the picture, who, despite his young age, had already been convicted before. The young man also entered the victim’s apartment again although it was sealed by the police.
Compensation
At the trial, his lawyer did not dispute that O. stole the bank card. She pointed out his difficult childhood and asked to give him another chance. However, O. himself did not do well when the judge questioned him. He could not explain why he did not call emergency services when his victim was clearly not doing well and refused to tell the judge where he would stay after his time in prison. “I do have some options, but those people prefer not to have the police at the door,” said O.
Because he therefore has no permanent residence, the public prosecutor’s office asked to detain the defendant further. In addition to the prison sentence, EO will receive a suspended fine of 1,600 euros. He must pay his victim 6,263 euros in compensation.
Tags: Twentysomething steals bank card man leaves dead years prison Kortrijk
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