Grégory Lenoci sentenced to 17 years for attempted murder of neighbor

The Namur criminal court has sentenced Grégory Lenoci to 17 years in prison and 10 years of supervised release for the attempted murder of his neighbor, Marc P. The attack occurred in July 2025 in Jambes, after Lenoci suspected Marc P., a man previously convicted of child abuse in 2020, of sexually abusing his six-year-old stepdaughter.

The victim, Marc P., was left in a semi-vegetative state following the violent assault, which Lenoci filmed. The court ruled that Lenoci acted with premeditation and emphasized that citizens cannot take the law into their own hands, despite Lenoci's claims of judicial inaction regarding previous complaints against the neighbor.

The verdict has sparked significant controversy in Wallonia. MR president Georges-Louis Bouchez described the sentence as “unjust and disproportionate,” while other public figures questioned the equity of the sanction. Conversely, the presiding judge, Christian De Valkeneer, condemned public demonstrations of support for Lenoci as “totally inadmissible and scandalous,” warning against threats toward magistrates.