A new process kasteelmoord? Condemned Dutchman draws further appeal to

Wingene Evert de Clercq, one of the defendants in the case of the kasteelmoord, will appeal to appeal against his conviction. He hopes for a new, fair trial. The other convicts, among whom doctor André Gyselbrecht, accept their punishment.

According to the court, the Dutchman Evert de Clercq played a large role in the recruiting of the now deceased assassin, Antonius Van Bommel, who on January 31, 2012 Stijn Saelens doodschoot in his castle in Wingene. Evert de Clercq was yesterday by the Court of Appeal in Ghent sentenced to 20 years in prison. That is 7 years less than the punishment that he in the first instance in Bruges has been given, but nonetheless, de Clercq absolutely not satisfied. “He has nothing with the kasteelmoord to make,” says his lawyer Walter Van Steenbrugge. “Only the acquittal was here.”

Witnesses

After consultation with his lawyers Evert de Clercq decided to appeal to signs, because he feels that he is a dishonest process. The court of Cassation does not about the content of the facts, but whether the judges of all procedural rules are complied with and whether the laws are correctly applied. “We had to ask some of the witnesses called during the trial, a cellmate of the Clercq him falsely accused,” says Van Steenbrugge. “The Court has which the witnesses denied, and we think that's a big mistake. That cellmate, and yet others were witnesses for my client's crucial, hence the appeal in cassation.”

The Court has the witnesses denied, and we think that's a big mistake.

Walter Van Steenbrugge

New process

De Clercq has still two weeks time to appeal in cassation also officially submit. If the Court of Cassation ruled that the judges no errors have been made, the appeal will be rejected. But if it turns out that the rules were violated, then disconnects from the Court of Cassation's judgment and will Evert de Clercq a new process for a other court, in Antwerp or in Brussels.