Bosnian national Marko M. appeals Belgian burglary sentence

Marko M., a 60-year-old man from Bosnia and Herzegovina, is facing a new trial in Belgium after being sentenced in absentia to four years in prison for a series of burglaries across Flanders.

Following the completion of half of a previous eight-year sentence, the defendant was released in January 2020. However, prosecutors state he returned to criminal activity in late 2022, targeting cash and watches by breaking lock cylinders. His recent crimes include breaking into ten homes and businesses in Tielt over two nights, as well as several incidents in Roeselare and Staden.

After being extradited from Austria this August, Marko M. appealed the verdict and was granted a new trial. He has denied using violence and disputed the Tielt charges. His defense attorney, Silke Brutin, has requested a more lenient or suspended sentence, citing the defendant's mounting debts and a serious illness diagnosed in 2022 that he could not afford to treat. The defendant stated to the court that he felt he had no other option but to return to Belgium to commit burglaries to resolve his financial issues.