Why did Charleroi judges impose eight years for attacking an ex-partner and her mother?
The Charleroi Criminal Court sentenced a man to eight years in prison on 13 August for two attempted murders committed against his former partner and her mother in Carnières on New Year’s Day, according to subsequent reporting. Prosecutors had requested at least ten years.
The proceedings show how Belgian courts distinguish homicidal intent from premeditation while dealing with alleged violence following a separation. They also expose a broader policy challenge: Belgian institutions estimate that potentially lethal partner violence is recurrent, yet comprehensive official recording remains incomplete.
The sentenced a man to eight years in prison on 13 August for two attempted murders committed against his former partner and her mother in , in the Walloon municipality of . A post-judgment account published by reported that the court rejected the defendant’s claim of self-defence but treated the offences as attempted murder rather than the prosecution’s more serious allegation of attempted assassination, which requires premeditation under Belgian law.
The judgment is the latest development in a case initially reported by La DH, and regional broadcaster . It matters beyond the courtroom because the violence occurred during a meeting involving a separated couple and their young child—a setting the identifies as a period of heightened risk when one partner does not accept a separation.
According to the hearing report carried by , the defendant went to his former partner’s home on 1 January to collect his two-year-old son. He was carrying a screwdriver and an adjustable wrench. The prosecution alleged that he struck the two women with the tools: his former partner sustained injuries to her thigh and hand, while her mother was struck several times, including near the throat. The published reports do not provide complete medical findings, and Belgium Pulse is withholding the victims’ identities.
The defendant acknowledged striking his former mother-in-law but disputed the prosecution’s account of what happened to his former partner. reported that he maintained she had possessed the screwdriver and fell onto it while he was defending himself. He also denied bringing either tool as part of a premeditated attack. His lawyer asked the court to replace the attempted-assassination allegations with attempted murder and assault, and sought a probationary suspension.
The public prosecutor’s office took the opposite view. Its representative requested a prison term of at least ten years, relying both on the alleged circumstances and on what the prosecution described as the defendant’s substantial criminal record. , citing , reported that he had accumulated 11 previous convictions, including convictions involving violence. The court ultimately imposed eight years and retained two counts of attempted murder, according to the later judgment report. That reported outcome should be distinguished from the prosecution’s request: a sentencing demand is not a verdict, and the court did not adopt it in full.
The case is chiefly a Walloon justice story rather than an international one, but it sits within a Belgian and European effort to recognise violence by partners and former partners as a structural safety problem. The federal Institute for the Equality of Women and Men estimates that Belgium experiences about 140 cases of fatal or potentially fatal partner violence each year, while warning that the country still lacks a complete official registration system covering murders and attempted murders in an intrafamily context. Michel Pasteel, the Institute’s director, has also argued that victims face gaps in protection and long waits for support services during separation proceedings.
At EU level, Directive 2024/1385 requires member states to strengthen prevention, victim support and access to justice in cases of violence against women and domestic violence. It does not decide the guilt or sentence in this ; those remain matters for Belgian courts. Its relevance lies in the wider obligation to identify danger earlier, coordinate services and improve data collection.
The immediate question is now whether the convicted man or the prosecution will appeal. No authoritative public source reviewed by Belgium Pulse states that an appeal has been lodged, and the full written judgment was not publicly available. Until those points are confirmed, the safest conclusion is narrow: the court imposed an eight-year sentence after accepting homicidal intent but not, on the available reporting, the prosecution’s allegation of premeditation.
Impact
Regional — The case falls within the jurisdiction of the Charleroi Criminal Court and concerns events in Carnières, part of Morlanwelz in Hainaut. It raises local questions about risk detection, victim support and coordination among police, prosecutors, courts and social services.
Local — The case is anchored in Carnières, a section of Morlanwelz in Hainaut, and was adjudicated by the Charleroi Criminal Court. For local services, it highlights the importance of recognising potentially lethal risks around separation and child handovers and coordinating responses among police, prosecutors, courts and victim-support organisations. The judgment itself does not announce any new municipal programme, policing measure or service change for residents of Carnières, Morlanwelz or Charleroi.
What it means for you
The judgment creates no new rule, fee, deadline or administrative obligation for Belgium Pulse readers. Its immediate effect concerns the defendant, the two victims and their family: the reported sentence is eight years’ imprisonment rather than the prosecution’s requested minimum of ten. Readers following the case should distinguish the 4 August report about the prosecution’s request from the reported 13 August judgment. The available material does not establish whether an appeal was filed, so the sentence’s later procedural status should not be assumed.
Opposing perspectives
- Charleroi prosecution
The public prosecutor’s representative treated the attacks as two attempted assassinations and requested at least ten years in prison. According to the Belgian hearing reports, the prosecution rejected the defendant’s account and invoked both the alleged circumstances and his previous convictions.
- Defence counsel
The defence denied that the attacks were premeditated, disputed the account concerning the former partner’s injury and sought reclassification as attempted murder and assault. Counsel also requested a probationary suspension rather than the punishment sought by prosecutors.
- Belgian equality institute
The Institute for the Equality of Women and Men frames violence after separation as a recurring protection problem rather than an isolated domestic dispute. It argues that Belgian family-justice procedures, referrals to support services and data collection still require reinforcement.
- EU institutional framework
The EU approach centres on prevention, victim protection, specialised support and comparable data under Directive 2024/1385. That policy framework complements but does not replace the Belgian court’s case-specific assessment of intent, premeditation and sentence.
Who, where and what
Key people, places and terms in this story
Walloon city whose criminal court heard the case.
Walloon province containing Carnières, Morlanwelz and Charleroi.
Section of Morlanwelz where the reported attack occurred on 1 January 2026.
Hainaut municipality that includes Carnières.
EU institutional source on broader action against violence towards women.
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Walloon city whose criminal court heard the case.
Section of Morlanwelz where the reported attack occurred on 1 January 2026.
Hainaut municipality that includes Carnières.
Walloon province containing Carnières, Morlanwelz and Charleroi.
Reported 1 January 2026 confrontation underlying the two attempted-murder convictions.
EU institutional source on broader action against violence towards women.
Court that reportedly convicted the defendant of two attempted murders and imposed an eight-year prison sentence.
Prosecuting authority that alleged two premeditated attempts to kill and requested at least ten years’ imprisonment.
Belgian public institution cited for broader context on violence between former partners after separation.
EU statistical office cited for metadata concerning gender-based-violence data.
News outlet that reported the prosecution’s sentencing request.
Regional broadcaster that reported on the case while citing Belga.
Belgian news agency cited by Télésambre in its coverage.
Publication reporting the eight-year sentence for two attempted murders.
Sources & evidence
- View sourceLa DH/Les Sports+Primaryprimary· dhnet.be· 4 August 2026Retrieved 29 August 2026· 59 days ago· Dated
- View sourceTélésambre, citing Belgacorroborating· telesambre.be· 5 August 2026Retrieved 29 August 2026· 58 days ago· Dated
- View sourceThe Intelligentcorroborating· theintelligent.be· 14 August 2026Retrieved 29 August 2026· 49 days ago· Dated
- View sourceBelgian Institute for the Equality of Women and Menofficial· igvm-iefh.belgium.beRetrieved 29 August 2026
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This briefing was prepared with AI assistance and reviewed by a Belgium Impulse editor before publication. methodology.