3-year suspended jail sentence for former VRT radio host Sven Pichal, urine thrown over him as he arrives at court (VIDEO)
A court in Antwerp has given former radio host Sven Pichal a 3-year suspended prison sentence. He was convicted of possessing and distributing images of child abuse. A man threw liquid - probably urine - over Pichal as he arrived at court.
The well-known radio host was arrested and detained in August 2023 and charged with distributing images of child abuse. Drugs were also found in his locker at Flemish public broadcaster VRT.
Sven Pichal was convicted on all charges. ‘What happened was very serious,’ the judge said reading out the sentence. ‘The facts point to an excessively diminished sense of norms, a reprehensible mentality and a total lack of respect for the suffering behind the images of sexual abuse involving these extremely young children.’
Pichal has a deviant sexuality, the court ruled. ‘The drugs he uses have removed some inhibitions,’ the presiding judge noted. Pichal was given a three-year suspended prison sentence. He has to comply with a number of conditions set by the court, e.g. he has to undergo therapy.
The suspended prison sentence is in line with those meted out to other defendants in linked cases. In chat conversations Sven Pichal exchanged images with others. He also fantasised with others online about sexual abuse. Those fantasies also involved Pichal's foster children.
The prosecutor had asked for a prison sentence of 37 months but was willing to accept a suspended sentence if Pichal complied with conditions such as therapy.
Pichal had pleaded guilty on all charges and had already indicated that he is on an intensive therapy programme and intends to continue it in the future.
![](http://images.vrt.be/width320/2024/12/16/7e3f15b3-aeec-4efb-82c7-361597abb170.jpg 1x, //images.vrt.be/_NaN/2024/12/16/7e3f15b3-aeec-4efb-82c7-361597abb170.jpg 2x)