The court in Antwerp sentenced Belgian radio DJ Sven Pichal on Monday to a suspended prison sentence of three years. That writing Belgian media. Pichal is sentenced for possessing and distributing images of child sexual abuse. He also receives a fine of 8,000 euros, half of which is conditional.
Pichal, who had already been in pre-trial detention for three months, was for years one of the figureheads of the Flemish broadcaster VRT. The shock in Belgium was great when the case came to light in 2023. Child abuse cases are there, said the newspaper’s specialist in justice and cybercrime The Standard Nicolos Vanhecke against at the time NRC, “an open nerve” since Marc Dutroux took over the country in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
The case came to light when an Antwerp musical actor sent images to Pichal, but also to another man. The man reported this, after which the Flemish police immediately started an investigation. It now appears that Pichal not only received those images, but also actively distributed them himself. Police found 150 photos and videos of naked minors – ages 1 to 18 – on his phone, sometimes performing sexual acts.
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The court spoke on Monday of “very serious facts” that testify to “an excessively reduced sense of standards, a reprehensible mentality and a total lack of respect for the suffering that lies behind images of sexual abuse of these extremely young children.”
Nevertheless, Pichal, who was immediately fired by the VRT after his arrest, does not have to go back to prison. This is partly because Pichal is undergoing an intensive care program and he would not be able to continue following this in prison. The judge also took into account the fact that Pichal has already been in pre-trial detention for three months.
Sprayed with urine
Pichal, who was also found to have a drug addiction, will have to adhere to a list of conditions for the next five years. For example, he is not allowed to use alcohol or drugs and must continue intensive therapy for his addiction and sexual problems. He is also no longer allowed to work with minors, seek contact with them or attend events intended for minors.
“It is difficult for the victims and society to understand that there is ultimately no effective prison sentence,” Nel Broothaerts, director of Child Focus, responds. The Standard. “But I am pleased that the chairman’s statement clearly focuses on the suffering caused to the victims,” she also said.
Upon arrival at the court, Pichal was splashed with urine. The man who threw the urine on him then ran away, according to the Belga news agency. “I have never experienced someone waiting for a defendant like this before,” said his lawyer Walter Damen afterwards.