Brussels bus driver traps harasser on bus until police can make arrest

A bus driver in Brussels intervened in a dangerous situation to ensure police could apprehend a man who was sexually harrassing a young woman.

The woman got on a bus in the direction of Place du Luxembourg in the late afternoon of 10 December with some friends. Further on, the suspect boarded the same bus and immediately sat close beside them.

“This was followed by a series of inappropriate and sexual remarks towards the young woman, who was eating a lollipop,” said the Brussels-Capital/Ixelles police area on Thursday.

When the bus driver witnessed the situation, he attempted to diffuse it verbally and then called the police. 

At the Place du Luxembourg, he stopped the bus and kept the doors closed until police could arrive to make an arrest. 

“After his hearing, during which he denied the facts, the suspect was placed at the disposal of the Brussels public prosecutor's office,” police said.

Half of young women living in Belgian cities alter the way they use public space in order to avoid being sexually intimidated, harassed or assaulted, according to figures from Plan International Belgium.

The situation is especially bad in Brussels, where women have been demanding change through large demonstrations in recent weeks.

The Brussels-Capital/Ixelles police zone urges all victims of inappropriate behaviour and sexual harrassment to file a complaint. 

“In urgent cases, call 101 or use the 112 application. In non-urgent cases, complaints can be made via www.polbru.be,” a police spokesperson said.