Criminal Belgium
Unscripted
Pitch
Do you know what characterises a criminal? They are men and women of their time. Reliving the great criminal cases that have marked Belgium means re-immersing ourselves in Belgian history and its evolution. Because there’s so much more to a crime than just a blood-soaked news item. It tells us of the despair of those living in its aftermath, like the way avid readers devour every last detail of a police investigation. Thanks to a look at crown court documents, we also see the history of the Belgian justice system and the changes it has undergone, as portrayed by the crime. Far more than just justice. Far more than just a crime. Far more than just a criminal.
Videos
The Waddington-Balmaceda Case
"The Waddington-Balmaceda Case", Brabant Assize Court, 1907. This high-profile case involved Carlos Waddington, the son of the Chilean ambassador in Brussels, who shot his sister's fiancé, Ernesto Balmaceda, twice with a revolver. The motive was Balmaceda's refusal to accept his responsibilities. The case raises the question: Could an ...
more"The Waddington-Balmaceda Case", Brabant Assize Court, 1907. This high-profile case involved Carlos Waddington, the son of the Chilean ambassador in Brussels, who shot his sister's fiancé, Ernesto Balmaceda, twice with a revolver. The motive was Balmaceda's refusal to accept his responsibilities. The case raises the question: Could an ambassador's son be condemned in 1900 Brussels?
lessThe de Mazières Case
"The de Mazières Case", 1922, Ghent: a case of poisoning. The culprit, Vicomte de Mazière, is no stranger to crime. His past exploits include identity theft and document forgery. This case takes us back to the living conditions at the end of World War I. Who is this Vicomte de Mazière?
The Coucke and Goethals Case
The Coucke and Goethals case, 1860. Pierre Coucke and Pierre Goethals, two Flemish workers from the Borinage region, were accused of robbing and murdering the Widow Dubois in Couillet. They were sentenced to death and guillotined in Charleroi in 1860. But were they really guilty?