- The girl was allegedly lured to a wooded area in Kortrijk, West Flanders.
Prosecutors have opened an investigation into the sickening gang rape of a 14-year-old girl in a wooded area of Belgium, who is believed to have been abused by up to a dozen other minors.
Luring her into the woods, near an area used by mountain bikers, the boyfriend is said to have attacked his young partner before allegedly allowing other boys to get away with it.
Prosecutors confirmed that they had arrested the alleged perpetrators and brought them in for questioning, although they did not specify the exact number of suspects or confirm their ages.
But sources told Belgian outlet Nieuwsblad that there were up to a dozen suspects involved, the youngest of whom is just 12 years old and the oldest just 16.
The girl, who remains unidentified for privacy reasons, was allegedly lured to a wooded area in Kortrijk, West Flanders, by her teenage boyfriend during the Easter school holidays.
Luring her into the woods, near an area used by mountain bikers, the boyfriend is said to have attacked his young partner before allegedly allowing other boys to get away with it.
The investigation into the chilling incident has been carried out in the utmost secrecy by the West Flanders public prosecutor’s office to avoid any possibility of the victim’s horrified relatives and the horrified public learning the identities of those involved.
But Nieuwsblad Prosecutors reported they discovered “reprehensible behavior” on the part of the suspects and “acts of revenge,” citing sources close to the investigation who said the alleged perpetrators showed “a complete lack of sense of the rules.”
It is believed that the girl spent two days in the forest where she was tormented and abused by the juvenile gang.
The criminal age of responsibility in Belgium is 18, meaning that alleged sexual abusers were sent before a juvenile judge and were likely placed in a personal rehabilitation program in youth centers.
But it is possible that the 16-year-old in question could be prosecuted under adult criminal law, given the exceptional nature of the case.
It is unclear whether each suspect was equally guilty or to what extent they participated in the abuse.
Meanwhile, the victim receives specialized counseling after her terrible experience.
