Prisoner accused of slitting cellmate’s throat before psych consult
A Dutch prisoner is suspected of cutting his cellmate's throat in the St. Gilles prison in Brussels on Thursday. The body was discovered when the Dutch man was brought back to his cell after a session with the prison psychiatrist, AD reports.
The victim was an Algerian man who was convicted of a crime, but declared unaccountable due to his mental state. The Dutch man also has a history of psychiatric problems and is in custody awaiting his trial for theft, according to the newspaper.
The Dutch man was collected by a guard and taken to the psychiatrist. When he was brought back to his cell, the guard found his cellmate's body half hidden under a sheet. His throat had been cut. Attempts to resuscitate him were in vain.
The Belgian Public Prosecution Service launched an investigation to find out exactly when the Algerian man was killed and by whom. According to AD, it is virtually impossible that the Algerian man made the injuries himself. And the cell door was closed while the Dutch man was away.
