2023-05-12 17:45:00
The Ghent council chamber decided on Friday to keep the mother of young Raul, found dead in Ghent in mid-April, in detention. “We will not appeal the decision. My client will stay in the cell for another month”said his lawyer Thierry Goffart, who did not comment further.
As a reminder, the body of little Raul, aged 9, was fished out on April 13 at the bottom of a lake located in the port district of Ghent. Locked in a sports bag weighed down with stones, the child was thrown into the water at the end of January.
According in particular to the testimony of his 13-year-old sister – who has become a key witness in the case – Raul was seriously abused by his mother’s companion. Raul was reportedly regularly beaten with punches and belt blows. He was also doused with ice water or hot water.
Arrived illegally in Belgium, Raul, 9, could not be saved by the police
The young boy ultimately did not survive the blows inflicted on him on January 31. His mother and stepfather are said to have first hidden his body under his bed, before getting rid of it by putting it in a sports bag weighted with stones which they threw into a lake, where it will remain for several months. .
The disappearance of the child had gone under the radar until relatives of the family informed the authorities. It is besides the sister of Raul who is at the origin of the research of the body in waters of Houtdok.
The girl would have quickly pointed Nicu C, her stepfather, as the main responsible for the facts. Arrested on April 14 – the day after the macabre discovery – in Bakel (Netherlands), he was extradited ten days later to Ghent, before being placed under an arrest warrant. He denies any involvement and blames Raul’s mother, Yoana M., also arrested.
Eight hours of confrontation between suspects
If the role played by the parents remains unclear, the investigation is underway and should make it possible to learn more, in particular on the exact circumstances of the death of little Raul. The investigating judge also requested a 3D scanner of the victim’s body, the traditional autopsy not having sufficiently clarified the circumstances of the death.
At present, his mother is suspected of murder, assault and battery and concealment of a corpse.
In her first statements, made before the discovery of Raul’s body, she had indicated that she was not linked to the death of her son, and had rejected the responsibility on her ex-companion. But little Raul’s sister later said the couple were present when the child’s body was thrown into the water.
Nicu C., in an umpteenth defense attempt, demanded a confrontation with Raul’s mother to demonstrate that he is not linked to the case. This meeting was organized on May 11, in Ghent. The cross-hearing lasted almost eight hours, but it did not allow any progress in the investigation.
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