André Gyselbrecht (71), the former family doctor from Ruiselede who was sentenced to 21 years in prison in the case of the castle murder as the client for the murder of his son-in-law Stijn Saelens, has left prison this morning for the first time in a long time. The Ghent sentence enforcement court decided last month that he may occasionally go outside to work. He must adhere to strict conditions. His son Peter came to pick him up at the prison gate in Ghent. According to our information, he will work in the pharmaceutical sector.
KVDS, Tim Lescrauwaet, Klaas Danneel
Latest update:
09:31
Dressed in a blazer, jeans and sneakers, Gyselbrecht stepped out of Ghent prison around 6.30 am. Son Peter had arrived at the prison gate with his BMW a few minutes earlier. Father Gyselbrecht hurried into the car and immediately they dashed off. It is not clear where the journey went. According to our information, Gyselbrecht will start working for a pharmaceutical company in the wider Bruges region, but it is not clear whether this is already the case today.
Stijn Saelens was shot dead on January 31, 2012 in his castle in Wingene. At first Gyselbrecht claimed that he only wanted to teach the victim a lesson, but at his trial in Bruges he finally confessed his role.
Detained
Gyselbrecht was first arrested in the case in 2013 and was eligible for parole as he served more than a third of his sentence, mostly in pre-trial detention. André Gyselbrecht had already asked the sentencing court in 2020 to be allowed to leave the prison of Beveren with an ankle bracelet, but that was refused.
At the end of last year, Gyselbrecht applied for limited detention, which would allow him to leave prison during the day and reapply in the evening. The detainee must therefore have a social rehabilitation plan in which he can spend his time outside the prison usefully, he is not allowed to commit new offenses and he is not allowed to disturb the victims.
The Ghent sentence enforcement court imposed a total of twenty conditions on Gyselbrecht, including a ban on speaking to the press and a ban on contact with the victims. He is granted limited detention with 36 hours penitentiary leave twice a month for the first three months, and weekly thereafter.
doctor
Gyselbrecht can no longer work as a doctor after he was canceled by the Order of Doctors after his final conviction, but according to his lawyer he will work for people in need in society. He will now be succeeded by a justice assistant, who will report to the sentencing court. If he complies with the conditions, he will later be eligible again for electronic surveillance or conditional release.
ALSO READ: RECONSTRUCTION. 10 years after the Castle Murder: it started with a bullet casing, broken glasses and a line of blood (+)
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