Ex-RTBF Journalist Guilty of Sexual Assault and Voyeurism

A former journalist for Belgium’s French-language public broadcaster RTBF has been found guilty of sexual assault and voyeurism, while being acquitted of the more serious charge of rape. The Brussels Criminal Court delivered its verdict on June 24, sentencing Thomas Rorive to three years in prison, fully suspended for five years with probation conditions.

The Verdict

The court convicted Rorive of sexual assault against two women and voyeurism by means of recording. The rape charge was requalified after the court determined that the victim’s statements were inconsistent, with her describing the encounter at times as non-consensual and at other times as consensual, according to VRT NWS.

“A suspended sentence is not an acquittal and not a pardon,” the judge emphasized during the reading of the verdict, as reported by VRT NWS.

The sentence fell significantly short of the six years and six months demanded by the Brussels public prosecutor’s office, which had described Rorive as “manipulative” and “predatory” during the February trial hearings.

The Two Incidents

The first incident occurred on January 13, 2021, at Rorive’s apartment. The court found that he unexpectedly took a victim’s hand and placed it on his genitals, constituting sexual assault. Crucially, Rorive had filmed the sexual encounter without the victim’s knowledge using a surveillance camera — evidence that led to the voyeurism conviction. As RTBF reported, the voyeurism charge emerged from Rorive’s own defense strategy: he submitted surveillance footage as evidence of consent, which simultaneously proved he had filmed the victim without her knowledge.

The second incident took place on October 22, 2021, during an RTBF staff party. Rorive was found guilty of sexually assaulting a former female colleague. RTBF fired him for gross misconduct (“faute grave”) shortly after this incident, on October 29, 2021.

Broader Pattern of Allegations

According to reporting by Le Soir, six women in total have come forward with accusations against Rorive. Three of them allege rape with a similar modus operandi involving alcohol. The investigating judge described Rorive as a “sexual predator,” as RTBF reported in its coverage of the initial trial.

Investigators found sleeping pills at Rorive’s home, and one victim had traces of an antidepressant in her blood. However, some older allegations were time-barred by statutes of limitations and could not be prosecuted.

Appeal Announced

Shortly after the verdict, Rorive’s defense lawyers Thomas Metzger and Jean-Pierre Buyle announced they would appeal the conviction. “He remains on the same line of defense. He has contested the facts from the beginning and his position remains unchanged,” Metzger told RTBF after the hearing.

Under Belgian law, the appeals court can potentially increase or decrease the sentence.

Institutional Response

RTBF acted swiftly following the October 2021 incident, firing Rorive for gross misconduct and publicly supporting the victim. “RTBF has no reason not to believe her. There is no evidence that she is lying,” the broadcaster’s lawyer stated during the trial, as reported by VRT NWS.

What’s Next

The case now moves to the appeals court, where both the sexual assault and voyeurism convictions will be re-examined. The outcome will be closely watched in Belgium, where the case has become a significant test of how the justice system handles sexual misconduct allegations involving media figures. The broader societal reckoning with sexual misconduct in Belgian institutions, particularly in the wake of the #MeToo movement, provides important context for understanding the public interest in this case.