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Arrested in Belgium

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Garrath

Me and my wife were visiting Brugge as tourists for the weekend from England as it was her birthday. We had gone out to dinner and parked our car accross the street from the restaurant at 't Zand 1, 8000 Brugge, Belgium. Once we finished dinner, we exited the restaurant we headed for our vehicle. As soon as we arrived at the vehicle, at least two policeman came out of nowhere and said we had parked illegal, (They were waiting or us for some reason). I said I was not aware that I was parked illegal and said I didn't see any signs that indicated that I shouldn't park here. They said to me "Well do you see any other cars parked here?" And I sad yes, there is one parked over there, and there was. He said because it was because he was unloading. Anyway, he asked for my vehicle documents for my car and I said I didn't have my documents as they were at my home in England. (In England we do not carry our documents in the vehicle) He said if I don't show the vehicle documents the car will be towed away and impounded. I stated that we are here visiting from a foreign country and had no means to get home if the car was taken. They did not care. So a tow truck arrived to take my car away. When he was driving it to the tow truck I decided to take out my phone and film it for documentation as I had no pen or paper to write with. As I was filming the tow truck to get the name of the company who was taking it away I noticed one of the police officers was to my left so I thought I had better get his name so I could go the the police station and let them know who had impounded my car. I said, "What is your name sir?" After I asked him he then hit me. As a result, my phone hit the ground and the screen broke. It landed with the camera facing up and you can see me now with my hands in the air. I was now scared for my life and I did not know what I had done. With my hands in the air, a second policeman tackled me from behind, (On the video you can see him running towards me when the phone was on the ground) and then both police officers were on top of me against a fence. You can hear us hitting the fence when they attacked me. I was unable to breath for a short while, which you can hear this in the video too. Once the put on the hand cuffs that were way too tight, I was put in a police car. I asked for them to please loosen the handcuffs, but I was ignored. My wife had to find her own way back to our campsite, she didn't even know what the name of the place was.
The police officer kept asking me for the code to my phone so he could erase the evidence, I refused. I was taken to the Brugge jail where is spent about 12 hours there. From the moment I was locked in the cell I never saw a person until I was released the next day. I was not offered water of food, nobody came to check on me the whole time and I didn't even know the time or if it was day or night outside. I was never told why I was arrested when I arrived or even I was released. I assume there was no charges since they never gave me any paperwork when I was released. I was too scared to ask any questions because it seemed to me like the reason I was there in the first place was for asking a question. Every time I see a police officer now I get very nervous. I have not been in trouble with the police and I still don't know what I done wrong. Can anyone recommend a laywer in Belgium please?

Fred

There goes one half of the story.
Take it to a lawyer, that usually gets you better legal advice than you find on forums

SimCityAT

First, when did this all happen? If recently why were you travelling? 2nd Why did you not contact the Embassy?

They have a list of lawyers you can contact.

Cynic

When did this happen?  I'm not going to comment on the story except to say that just because we do things a certain way in the UK doesn't mean that it's acceptable in other countries.

Anyway, if you want to follow this up, then you need to complain.  Assuming you still have the evidence, contact the Embassy in Brussels; this link will take you to their website.  Ask them for the contact details of a lawyer who can help you through the process.  You should be aware that you may have to pay for their services.

phipiemar

Since we do not have the full version of this situation, ie the police version is missing, I remain in the same position as my colleagues.
However, you are largely responsible for this situation by going for a walk abroad without finding out about the legal obligations of other countries.  The confiscation of the car is justified because you were unable to prove its possession.

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