Police were waiting when the man returned to the stolen hearse. Credit: NGCHIYUI / Shutterstock
A young cashier refused to hand over takings from the till to a man with underpants pulled over his face, and what he did next only got stranger. He set fire to his own clothes in a hallway, stole a ‘getaway’ hearse and drove to Brussels, where police were already waiting for him.
A 16-year-old cashier refused to hand over the till
A 36-year-old man from Braine-l’Alleud, south of Brussels, tried to rob a Carrefour Market supermarket in the town during a few chaotic hours on July 13 and 14.
The man, who hasn’t been named, had pulled his underwear over his face as a mask and hidden his tattoos under a jumper. He then threatened the 16-year-old teenage student working the till with the blade of an electric meat knife, telling her he knew where she lived and would come looking for her.
She didn’t give in, however, and he left without a cent. The teenager was left badly shaken and still struggles to sleep without medication, according to Belgian reports of the court hearing.
It began with a hospital walkout and a banned visit
Before the raid, and after taking medication and drinking alcohol, the man had gone to hospital but felt he wasn’t well received and left. He then headed to his partner’s flat, despite a court order barring him from any contact with her.
There he found an old electric meat knife and detached one of its blades, which became the weapon he took to the supermarket nearby.
He set fire to his clothes and stole a hearse
Believing he hadn’t been filmed, he went into the hallway of a nearby building and set fire to some of his clothing. The smoke spread through the floors and set off the fire alarm, so every resident had to be evacuated.
He then broke into several parked cars and finally took a Mercedes hearse belonging to a funeral company, which he said had its keys in the ignition. Bank cards found inside were then used to buy cigarettes at two petrol stations, both of which had cameras and caught him.
From there he drove to a district of Brussels where he knew he could buy cocaine, and did exactly that.
Police were waiting when he got back to the hearse
Officers were waiting when he returned to the vehicle. He resisted at Braine-l’Alleud police station and broke a leg while being restrained, according to La Dernière Heure.
Now in custody, he appeared before the criminal court in Nivelles last Tuesday, October 20, charged with assault, arson, attempted extortion, carrying a weapon, cocaine possession and car theft. He admitted almost everything but said he couldn’t remember it all because he was in a dazed state.
The same hearing confirmed the end of two earlier suspended sentences, including 18 months from March, and his defence said he already faces about 40 months to serve. Prosecutors have asked for a further 18 months in prison, which his lawyer called reasonable. The judge will finally deliver the verdict on Tuesday November 17.