The jury finally deliberated around 12:45 p.m. At 3 p.m. the jury members returned to the assize room, where chairman Bart Meganck announced the sentence. Ridoan O. was ultimately sentenced to 29 years in prison. In its judgment, the jury, contrary to what the Public Prosecution Service argued, did take into account some mitigating circumstances and the exceeding of the reasonable period.
The civil parties initially reacted with great disappointment to the verdict. “We all know that he can be released after a third of the sentence. He has already served four years. So do the math and count. Maybe he will actually serve another 5 to 6 years? There is no justice. I know there is a justice should be, but in such a way. We only think about that 1/3rd of the punishment. It’s just terrible. The whole week was so terribly debilitating, indescribable, and then he gets such a punishment,” says Loïs Himpe, Jill’s sister.