The Antwerp Criminal Court delivered a verdict on Monday, April 20, 2026, that marks Belgian justice: Jan, 61, described in the press as the 'Flemish Pelicot' in reference to the French case judged in late 2024, was sentenced to ten years of firm imprisonment for having drugged and raped his three ex-partners over twenty-five years, and for having taken nude photos of his underage stepdaughter. The information was confirmed by 20 Minutes, Yahoo Actualités France, and Sudinfo, which had already described the investigation on April 17 as a 'truly sordid affair'.

25 Years, Three Partners, a 17-Year-Old Stepdaughter

The portrait drawn by investigators and reported by Sudinfo is that of a man with a carefully maintained double life: an executive in a Japanese company based in Flanders, seemingly respectable, married and a father. For a quarter of a century, Jan systematically administered sedative substances to his three successive partners without their knowledge, taking advantage of their unconscious state to rape and film the assaults. The last victim, his stepdaughter aged 17 at the time of the events, was photographed nude several times without her consent. It was one of the young girl's relatives who alerted the police in early 2025, triggering the search of his home.

100,000 Photos and Videos

The search of the home and digital devices yielded a considerable volume of evidence: over 100,000 photos and videos, carefully sorted by date and by victim, according to the account published by Yahoo Actualités France and 20 Minutes. This methodical documentation allowed investigators to reconstruct the complete timeline of events, identify all the victims—including some who had no memory of what they had suffered—and build an exceptionally strong case. The Antwerp prosecutor's office had requested fifteen years; the court ultimately imposed a ten-year sentence, notably due to the absence of prior convictions and personality factors presented by the defense.

The Echo of the Pelicot Affair

The resonance with the Pelicot affair, judged in Avignon in December 2024, is evident. Dominique Pelicot was sentenced to twenty years of criminal imprisonment for having drugged his wife Gisèle for nearly ten years and handed her over to more than fifty men recruited online. Gisèle Pelicot, by requesting the trial be public, had shifted the European debate on chemical submission and consent. Her book, published in February 2026 and covered by RTL Info, became a bestseller in several countries. The Antwerp case, on a smaller scale but over a longer duration, falls directly in the wake of this liberation of speech.

Belgium Faces a Societal Debate

Monday's conviction raises structural questions for Belgian society. How could three successive partners, over twenty-five years, remain unaware of the assaults they were suffering? What role did the absence, until very recently, of public campaigns on chemical submission play? The Belgian federation of victims' associations on Monday called for the establishment of a national information campaign, modeled on the one launched in France after the Pelicot affair. The Belgian Minister of Justice, in a statement late in the morning, announced that a bill on strengthening sanctions and training forensic doctors would be submitted before the summer. A civil party described herself as 'torn between relief and anger', deeming the ten-year sentence 'insufficient given the scale of the facts'.

Editorial Opinion

Ten years for a quarter-century of assaults, hundreds of documented rapes, an underage stepdaughter photographed naked: the sentence passed in Antwerp, like in Avignon in 2024, raises the question of the adequacy of the European penal system for cases of chemical submission. In the eyes of the victims, the decision may seem derisory. In the eyes of the law, it reflects a legal framework that was simply not designed for predators who exploit the unconsciousness of their loved ones over decades. Beyond the case of Jan, the entire Belgian penal code—like the French penal code—must be revised to clearly distinguish serial intra-familial crime from isolated acts. The Antwerp trial will at least have had this merit: forcing this debate. The challenge now is to see it through.

Key Takeaways

• Jan, 61, known as the 'Flemish Pelicot', sentenced to 10 years in prison in Antwerp on April 20, 2026.
• Three ex-partners drugged and raped over 25 years; underage stepdaughter photographed nude.
• Over 100,000 photos and videos seized from his home.
• The prosecution had requested 15 years; civil parties denounce the sentence as 'insufficient'.
• The Belgian Minister of Justice announces a bill on chemical submission before the summer.