A 14-year-old girl took her own life after footage of her alleged gang rape in a cemetery was shared online.
The sex attack reportedly took place in Ghent, Belgium and police have made five arrests from identifying the alleged perpetrators from the images.
It sparked outrage from the Belgian government with the country’s justice minister expressing his shock over what happened, the Daily Star reported.
The suspects, who are all from Ghent, include three minors aged 14 and 15 and two adults aged 18 and 19.
The teenager, from Gavere, south of Ghent, thought she was meeting a friend in the Westerbegraafplaats cemetery on May 15.
(Image: REX/Shutterstock)
However, four other individuals were also there, and they allegedly gang-raped her.
Four days after it happened, the girl killed herself.
Her family were then told about the attack by one of the girl’s friends, who she had confided in.
According to Belgian media reports, two of the minors who have been arrested are brothers, and some of the suspects were already known to police.
They have been arrested on suspicion of rape, indecent assault and the taking and dissemination of photographs likely to constitute an attack on the integrity of a person.
(Image: REX/Shutterstock)
Denis Dierick, the mayor of Gavere, said he knew the victim well and said her death was “pure horror” and “an inhuman tragedy”.
Meanwhile, justice minister Vincent van Quikernborn pledged on Twitter that those responsible for the girl’s dreadful ordeal would be punished.
“Hateful, there are no words to describe it. My thoughts are with the family and friends,” he said.
“Suspects have been arrested and the investigation is ongoing. Justice must be concerned about justice.”
Newsin24 reported the victim’s father as saying that his daughter had been “struggling for some time”.
Her heartbroken dad added: “She needed help and unfortunately it took far too long for her to get it.
“She had such a hard time and these facts and images were the last straw for her. A 14-year-old girl can’t go through something like this.
“She saw her whole world fall apart. Without these people, she would have been there. All I can hope for now is justice.”
The Samaritans is available 24/7 if you need to talk. You can contact them for free by calling 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org or head to the website to find your nearest branch. You matter.