The girl was lured to the underground parking lot of the station in Mechelen. That’s where the facts took place. — © Joren De Weerdt
Mechelen –
At the beginning of this week, investigators arrested four minors for serious violence they used against a thirteen-year-old girl in Mechelen. In early March, the victim was beaten and even strangled for several minutes and ultimately robbed of her mobile phone. Two minors have been placed in a closed institution.
The facts took place at the beginning of March, but the news only now became known. “On March 2, a thirteen-year-old girl had arranged to meet a friend in Mechelen. She was lured to the underground parking lot of the station by that friend and two other young people. There she was attacked by two young men. They had made their faces unrecognizable by wearing balaclavas,” Kristof Aerts of the Antwerp public prosecutor’s office confirmed the news. “The investigation now shows that the victim was beaten for twelve minutes and even strangled.”
The teenage girl was reportedly asked to go shopping in Mechelen, but that turned out to be an excuse to attack and rob her. After all, during the heavy violence she also had to hand over her money.
The victim was injured during the robbery and told her parents at home what had happened. The police were subsequently also informed of the facts. The local detective of the Rivierenland police zone dug into the file and examined, among other things, the surveillance images of the central station. The investigation ultimately identified four suspects: two girls and two boys. According to the public prosecutor’s office, the four are between thirteen and sixteen years old.
Juvenile judge
The four were arrested at the beginning of this week and were brought before the Mechelen juvenile court. “Two minors were placed in a closed youth institution, two others were given strict conditions,” the public prosecutor’s office said.
Why the company used such severe violence against the teenage girl remains a question for now. The investigation into the facts will continue in the coming days and weeks. The victim is deeply affected by what happened to her.
