Gang-rape horror of 14-year-old lady – ‘organised by her boyfriend’

Prosecutors have opened an investigation into the sickening gang rape of a 14-year-old girl in a wooded area in Belgium by ten other minors.

The girl, who remains unidentified for privacy reasons, was allegedly lured into a wooded area called Kabouterbos in Kortrijk, West Flanders (five miles from the French border), by her teenage boyfriend over the Easter school break.

Upon enticing her into the forest, close to an area used by mountain bikers, the boyfriend is said to have attacked his young partner before allegedly allowing several other boys to sexually assault her as well. Reports said the boys filmed the attack on their smartphones and posted clips to social media. 

Prosecutors have arrested ten suspected perpetrators aged between 11 and 16 and hauled them in for questioning, according to local reports.

Belgian outlet Nieuwsblad said six of the suspects had been placed in a closed institution, while the other four were placed under house arrest.

The girl, who remains unidentified for privacy reasons, was allegedly lured into a wooded area in Kortrijk, West Flanders, by her teenage boyfriend over the Easter school break

Upon enticing her into the forest, close to an area used by mountain bikers, the boyfriend is said to have attacked his young partner before allegedly allowing several other boys to have their way with her

The investigation has been conducted in the utmost secrecy by the West Flanders prosecutor’s office to avoid any chance of family members of the victim or members of the public learning the identities of those involved. 

But Nieuwsblad said prosecutors turned up ‘reprehensible behaviour’ on the part of the suspects and ‘revenge-mongering facts’, citing sources close to the investigation who said the alleged perpetrators showed ‘a complete lack of sense of norms’.

‘I have never experiences this in my career,’ the lawyer for one of the suspects is reported to have told the newspaper. 

The girl is thought to have spent two days in the forest where she was tormented and abused by the gang of minors.

The group took turns abusing the victim, and all participated ‘to a greater or lesser extent,’ Nieuwsblad said in its report.

None of the boys urged their friends to stop the abuse, it added.

Tom Janssens of the Public Prosecutor’s Office said that on account of the age of all those involved, little is being said publicly on their identity.

He did confirm that ten suspects had been identified and arrested, and that all were minors. ‘Because the perpetrators are so young, we are not releasing much information about their identity,’ Janssens told The Brussels Times.

The six boys placed in an institution were set to appear in juvenile court on Wednesday afternoon. It is understood that one of those six boys – a thirteen-year-old – has been released on conditions.

The criminal age of responsibility in Belgium is 18, meaning the suspected sexual abusers were sent before a juvenile judge and are likely to have been placed into a personal rehabilitation programme in youth facilities. 

But it is possible the 16-year-old in question could be dealt with under adult criminal law, given the exceptional nature of the case. 

It is not clear whether each suspect was equally guilty or to what extent they participated in the abuse. 

The victim meanwhile is receiving specialist guidance following her ordeal.