Girl motive for stabbing? 06/09/2007 00:00

The 14 year-old boy who was stabbed on Tuesday in Ghent was yesterday still fighting for his life

GHENT – The 14 year-old boy who was stabbed on Tuesday in Ghent was yesterday still fighting for his life. The prosecutor is still seeking a motive for the stabbing in Ghent. One possible clue is that 14 year-old Simon Wijffels from Wondelgem was stabbed because he refused to help the perpetrators gain the favours a girl.

The 16 year-old schoolboy who stabbed Simon Wijffels just after classes ended on Tuesday was questioned for hours yesterday afternoon and evening. The boy had eluded the police for a whole night but following a tip-off from the Ghent youth brigade, was grabbed from a bus nearby Sint-Pietersstation yesterday afternoon.

His younger brother, who had been arrested earlier, was transferred to the juvenile prison in Everberg on the instruction of the juvenile-court judge. There is still no trace of the flick-knife which was apparently used by the brothers.

There is still no real lead on the motive for the stabbing, according to the Ghent public prosecutor. “We are unable to make a statement on this while the questioning is still going on,” said Annemie Serlippens from the prosecutor’s office.

The perpetrators, of Ukrainian origin but who had sought asylum in Belgium after a period in Israel, seem to speak good Dutch but are refusing to help the police with their inquiries.

The investigation reveals that Simon Wijffels was regularly bullied for some time by the two much more aggressive brothers. The boy was unable to defend himself against the two. The stabbing could well be an extension of the previous bullying.

The brothers had apparently demanded that Simon help them to get in contact with a girl. He had apparently refused. The stabbing was their revenge.

[Copyright Expatica 2007]

Subject: Belgian news