Outrage in Belgium After Gang Rapists Avoid Prison in Geel Case

A fully suspended three-year prison sentence handed down to two young men convicted of gang raping a 15-year-old girl in Geel, Belgium, has sparked widespread anger and disbelief across the country. The case has reignited a fierce national debate about lenient sentencing for sexual offenses and the structural flaws in Belgium’s criminal justice system.

The Turnhout court on 27 May 2026 convicted two men, aged 22 and 23, of rape, sexual assault, and voyeurism for an attack that took place on 2 July 2021. Despite the severity of the crimes, both received a fully conditional sentence of three years — meaning they will serve no prison time provided they comply with court-ordered conditions, including attending an awareness-raising course. They were also ordered to pay €12,500 in damages to the victim and €2,500 to her parents, as De Morgen reported.

The Crime and Its Discovery

On the evening of the Euro 2020 quarter-final between Belgium and Italy, the victim — then 15 years old — went to watch the match at a friend’s home, described in court documents as a “mancave.” She was given a drink and became dizzy. According to her advocate, she was then carried to a bedroom by three young men and raped while incapacitated.

The victim did not fully realize what had happened to her until two years later, when a video of the assault began circulating on social media. The footage showed her passive and unconscious on a bed as the three young men raped her. The circulation of the video led to bullying at school and compounded her trauma.

“To this day she is terrified that someone will recognize her,” her advocate said, according to VRT NWS, the Belgian public broadcaster. The victim was so afraid of being identified that she chose not to pursue her studies in Geel, her hometown.

A third perpetrator, who was a minor at the time of the crime, was dealt with separately by the juvenile court.

A Pattern of Lenient Sentencing

The case has drawn outrage not only for the specifics of the crime but for what critics say is a systemic failure in Belgian justice. Legal experts point to the practice of “correctionalisation” — the routine transfer of serious crimes from the assize court, which includes a popular jury and can impose sentences of up to 10 to 15 years for rape, to the correctional court, which is presided over by professional judges and operates under a lower sentencing ceiling.

Jurist Roan Asselman, in an analysis published by PAL, explained the structural dynamics: “They must apply a lower sentencing scale. Since the last reform, the penalty for rape is between 10 and 15 years without aggravating circumstances. But such a ‘high’ sentence can only be imposed by the assize court.”

Asselman further noted that sentences of two years or less can be fully suspended, while three years or more requires actual prison time. “What happens suspiciously often is that rapists get two years in prison,” he said.

This case is not isolated. Belgium has seen multiple instances of conditional sentences for serious sexual offenses that have provoked public outcry. In one case, a medical student convicted of rape received no prison sentence because the judge deemed him “a talented and committed person.” In another, three men received a conditional five-year sentence for the gang rape of a 17-year-old girl at a youth center in Mechelen.

Political and Social Fallout

The conditional sentence has provoked condemnation from politicians, women’s rights organizations, and the general public. Critics argue that the ruling fails to deliver justice for the victim and sends a dangerous message that sexual violence is not taken seriously by the Belgian legal system.

The case is expected to fuel political debate, particularly from Flemish nationalist and right-wing parties that have already criticized lenient sentencing in sexual offense cases. It has also eroded public confidence in the judiciary’s handling of sexual violence.

What Comes Next

Belgium has adopted a new Criminal Code, published in the Belgian Official Gazette on 8 April 2024, which is scheduled to enter into force on 1 September 2026. It remains to be seen whether the reform will address the structural issues that lead to the correctionalisation of rape cases and the routine imposition of conditional sentences.

For the victim, however, the damage is done. Her advocate described a young woman whose life has been profoundly altered — first by the assault, then by the circulation of the video, and finally by a sentence that many Belgians see as a profound failure of justice. As public anger continues to mount, the case has become a rallying point for those demanding meaningful reform of Belgium’s approach to sexual violence.