2023-09-12 17:48:00
It is a legal case which is causing a lot of noise in Flanders. And for good reason, it is a – now – former star host of VRT, Sven Pichal, who is at the heart of the matter. The 44-year-old man was arrested and then imprisoned in Turnhout prison in August, suspected of possessing and sharing images of child pornography. The Antwerp council chamber decided on August 30 to place him on an electronic bracelet, but the public prosecutor’s office appealed this decision. Sven Pichal should therefore have his case examined this Tuesday, September 12 by the indictment chamber.
The ex-host’s lawyers requested the postponement of the examination of the file. Postponement obtained since the hearing in the indictment chamber is finally scheduled for September 19. “An unforeseeable circumstance has occurred and must first be clarified,” explained Me Walter Damen and Davina Simons, Sven Pichal’s counsel, without providing further details.
Tuesday morning, the ex-host appeared, but two hours late. The reason: a lack of staff at Turnhout prison which prevented him from being transferred on time. Earlier in the day, another suspect in this case, BD, 35, also appeared before the same indictment chamber.
Sven Pichal’s lawyers file complaint once morest De Morgen
Investigation still ongoing
It all started in mid-August following a complaint to the Antwerp police for “sharing images of sexual abuse”, targeting Sven Pichal and BD. The public prosecutor’s office was notified and an investigating judge intervened. is directly seized of the file. Investigations quickly identified five suspects, three of whom were arrested for possession and distribution of child pornography images.
At the time the affair broke out, the man who was still a presenter at VRT was preparing for the start of the school year, and particularly the new season of the successful show “De Inspecteur”, broadcast on Radio 2 and in which Sven Pichal played the role of a very educational investigator. While searches were being carried out at his home and at the VRT, Sven Pichal then announced, via his lawyer, that he was resigning with immediate effect for personal reasons. A few hours later, he was arrested and then heard by an investigating judge. ”The investigation is still in its early stages. Currently there is no question of a network in the sense of an organized exchange of child pornography content, indicates the Antwerp public prosecutor’s office. Many things that were seized still need to be analyzed.”
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