Flemish LGBTQIA+ organisation çavaria has criticised the handling of the investigation into the murder of David Polfliet, arguing that a possible homophobic motive was never properly examined. The organisation says the outcome of the assize trial sends a troubling signal to the LGBTQIA+ community about how such violence is addressed.
The case concerns the killing of David Polfliet, a 42-year-old man from Sinaai in the province of East Flanders, who was lured to a park in Beveren through the dating app Grindr. On 5 March 2021, three teenagers arranged a fake meeting with him. Polfliet was later found dead in a play forest near the railway line the following day. An autopsy showed that he had bled to death after being stabbed in the thigh.
The three suspects – two 17-year-olds from Verrebroek and Antwerp and a 16-year-old from Kieldrecht – turned themselves in to police shortly afterwards. They told investigators they had intended to rob the victim but had not planned to kill him.
A year after the events, the youth court transferred the suspects to adult court, meaning they would face trial as adults. In March 2025, the Chamber of Indictment in Ghent referred them to the assize court on the charge of robbery-murder.
During the trial in March 2026, the central legal question was whether the killing constituted robbery-murder, a qualification that could have carried a sentence of up to thirty years in prison.
Prosecutors argued that the three defendants had deliberately planned a violent robbery. According to the prosecution, witnesses confirmed that the trio intended to rob the victim, chose a remote location, wore dark clothing and gloves, and stole Polfliet’s mobile phone, thereby removing his last possibility of calling emergency services.
The defence rejected the accusation of robbery-murder. The lawyers argued that the teenagers had intended to confront someone they believed to be a paedophile and that the situation had spiralled out of control. They maintained that the fatal stabbing was not intended to kill and that the death was the unintended result of violence that escalated in panic.
After three hours of deliberation, the assize jury delivered its verdict on 10 March 2026. The three defendants were found guilty of attempted violent theft, with the aggravating circumstance that the victim’s death resulted from it. The charge of robbery-murder was not upheld. Although acquitted of that specific qualification, the defendants still face lengthy prison sentences, with sentencing to be determined separately.
Impact on community
Throughout the proceedings, çavaria closely followed the case because of its impact on the LGBTQIA+ community. The organisation argues that the seriousness and the possible motive of the violence should have been fully recognised.
According to çavaria, the trial revealed that homophobia as a potential motive was never systematically investigated. The organisation says this is incomprehensible, particularly given that the victim was targeted through a gay dating app.
The organisation warns that if the justice system does not investigate homophobia as a possible motive, it cannot prove it either. In its view, this risks sending a message to LGBTQI+ people that such violence is simply something they must accept.
Çavaria is therefore calling for structural changes. The organisation wants the possible hate motive to be systematically investigated in cases of violence against LGBTQI+ people whenever there are clear indications, such as the use of dating apps commonly used within the community. According to its spokesperson Thomas Jans, this should not depend on coincidence or on the goodwill of investigators.
The organisation also stresses that violence targeting LGBTQIA+ people affects the entire community and must be recognised as such. It says it will continue to advocate for a society in which anti-LGBTQIA+ violence is both condemned and prevented.
The murder of David Polfliet had a deep impact on the community at the time. Memorial gatherings were organised shortly after the killing, including a remembrance event coordinated by LGBTQIA+ organisations in Ghent, where people came together to mourn the victim and express solidarity.
For çavaria, the case illustrates why continued attention to anti-LGBTQIA+ violence remains necessary. The organisation says it will keep advocating for better recognition, investigation and prevention of such crimes.
UPDATE | Trio gets 15 years each
The three defendants all received a sentence of 15 years imprisonment, each.
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