The East Flanders public prosecutor’s office will not prosecute the Facebook post that Peter Aerts posted with photos of the perpetrator who mowed his son Francis off the cycle path last year. The file was dismissed.
In August, Peter Aerts had posted photos of the driver who had fatally hit his 16-year-old son Francis exactly a year earlier. The man appeared to be under the influence of alcohol and drugs. The public prosecutor’s office started an investigation on its own initiative and sent the police with a warrant to interrogate Peter Aerts and demand that he delete the Facebook post. The father also responded to this, but in the meantime a lot of screenshots have already been doing the rounds. The investigation into violations of privacy legislation was therefore continued.
However, the public prosecutor’s office now confirms that no criminal action will be taken in the case. “Since the father of the boy who was killed has realized that posting a photo of the driver on Facebook out of frustration is not the right thing to do and he was immediately prepared to remove all photos,” says public prosecutor’s office spokeswoman Mieke De Vulder.
For Peter Aerts it doesn’t really matter that much. “I won’t get Francis back, but I especially want the perpetrator to carry the consequences of his actions with him for the rest of his life.” In the meantime, the investigation into the accident is almost completely completed. The defense lawyer requested an additional interrogation, but perhaps this year the council chamber will decide in which court Youri H. will be prosecuted.
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