On Monday January 12 an 18-year-old man from Wevelgem took the bus in Kortrijk, but something went wrong just before 8 am. De Lijn bus driver Mario Verhellen (54) from Waregem was attacked near the Meensepoort in Beheerstraat. The young man punched the driver several times in the face after he passed a stop. Mario was seriously injured. He received ten stitches and was unable to work for a while. After the incident, about 40 drivers spontaneously returned to the depot in Kortrijk, and drivers also stopped work in the Geluwe satellite depot.
In February The lawsuit was to start in the Kortrijk court in summary proceedings, but a postponement was requested because more investigation was needed. “At the time of the facts, my client made a statement that is at odds with the bus driver’s statement,” said the young man’s lawyer, Thomas Vandemeulebroucke. “We are requesting additional research and we will collect it ourselves.” After the incident, there was immediately a lot of reaction on social media, Vandemeulebroucke wants to collect those testimonies. “Those people have explained what happened immediately after the facts, including the behavior of the bus driver.”
Community service
This morning the case finally started. The young man risks a prison sentence of six months for the entire incident. But lawyer Thomas Vandemeulebroucke asked for other sentences, because his client still has a clean criminal record. “I am requesting a suspension of the sentence on the condition that he undergoes supervision or, on the condition that he undergoes 60 hours of community service.” The Public Prosecution Service could possibly agree to a community service order of 80 hours. The victim asked for around 2,600 euros in compensation. He is now back to work.
“In any case, I find it very positive that the other party acknowledges his guilt, that he is a… mea culpa and that he is actually being counseled to prevent this from happening again,” said Mario. “If we look at a possible punishment, I would have preferred that the aggressor receive community service instead of a prison sentence. This way he can give something back to society. He not only affected me as an individual, but also the community.” Verdict on April 23.
