He was nicknamed “the monster of Brussels”. Junior Pashi Kabunda might be conditionally released. The 31-year-old man is due to appear before the sentencing court on Monday, December 12. He was sentenced to life for the murder of his own 18-month-old daughter, the murder and rape of her great-grandmother and the attempted murder of his ex-girlfriend. Junior might therefore be released following 13 years in prison. What denounces the family of his victims who contacted us. Relatives fear conditional release and wonder regarding the functioning of justice. Why not apply the penalties to the end?
It’s an unimaginable scenario for them. The relatives of the victims of Junior Pashi Kabunda are terrified. “A serial killer who killed his daughter and his ex-girlfriend’s grandmother can be released from prison. Several exit permits have already been granted to this dangerous assassin. Now a request for release”denounces a family member via the orange Alert us button.
Marcelle and Anais
In December 2010, the one who is nicknamed “the monster of Brussels” finds himself before the Assize Court. Junior Pashi is found guilty of the murder of his own daughter, Anaïs, 18 months, of the murder and rape of Marcelle, the grandmother of his partner Céline, and of the attempted murder of his partner Céline. The man is sentenced to life in prison in addition to a release from the government.
It’s very hard. I see myself at the trial
Today, Celine’s father feels like he has gone back 13 years. Memories come back. The feeling of reliving the horror a second time came over her. “It’s very hard. I see myself at trial. Everything comes back. But it is above all the apprehension that there is a possibility that he might go out”says David Mamadou Hendrickx.
Junior Pashi Kabunda during his trial
For this bruised man, a possible release is particularly unbearable. “I would like us to stop using the word perpetuity because if it’s perpetuity, it’s ad vitam. If I am told 30 years, it is 30 years. Let’s not say perpetuity. Life is until he dies in prison”believes the son of Marcelle and grandfather of Anaïs.
The biggest fear is that there might be a new victim
He denounces a lack of support from victims and has launched a petition to raise awareness among the authorities. “The biggest fear is that he will be released and that there may be another new victim. Who will take it, David asks.
After losing his mother and his granddaughter, he worries regarding knowing the author out of prison. “It is a hazard. It will be a permanent danger. The fact of knowing it outside… we will close the door double-locked. And we’ll watch our backs. But there will always be apprehension”he confides.
His lawyer wishes to reassure
Junior Pashi has already been able to take prison leave. The sentence enforcement court might therefore decide to release him conditionally. His lawyer understands the concerns of the victims, but he wants to be reassuring. According to him, his client’s sentence will probably never end.
“It’s not at all or nothing. It is not free or detained. It is an execution of a life sentence with a disposition of the court, which means control over almost all of his life anyway”, assure Me Nicolas Cohen. “The sentence is currently total and therefore it is a question of discussing other modalities than the only detention between four walls”adds Junior’s lawyer.
“We can’t do without parole”
The purpose of conditional release is to allow an inmate to experience his or her punishment somewhere other than behind bars. For Me Denis Bosquet, a criminal lawyer, this is an essential step to avoid recurrences. “People will have to meet a number of conditions. They will be followed by a justice assistant. We cannot do without parole because it means letting people go to the bottom of their sentence. 15,20,30 years. And then, we go out and we have no follow-up. It is a guarantee of recurrence”, believes this lawyer.
A release is always accompanied by a number of conditions, the main purpose of which is to protect the victims.
