Wanted Belgian paedophile captured in Gozo, to be extradited today

Belgian national Jozef Franz Achtergael, was captured in Gozo in a joint police operation. He will be extradited to Brussels today.

11 August 2012, 12:00am
by Karl Stagno-Navarra

1 min read

File: Jozef Franz Achtergael pictured in Kerala, India where he founded and a boys football school

Convicted paedophile Jozef Franz Achtergael, 61 was arrested by Maltese and Belgian police on Thursday evening, after he was found to be living in a house in Xaghra, Gozo.

Achteragael, who has already served five years in prison and released in 2000 after being convicted of sexual abuse of minors, has prompted investigators to look into what contact the Belgian may have had with children in the Gozitan village.

According to sources, although Achteragael was found to be living in a house just three corners away from the Xaghra school, his contact with the community was said to have been "minimal" due to the fact that he had been there for just a few weeks. The school is closed for summer holidays.

Achteragael was brought before Magistrate Antonio Mizzi late yesterday where he consented to his extradition to Belgium and face fresh charges on child abuse. He is expected to be extradited later today.

More from Karl Stagno-Navarra

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I ask the journalist concerned of this significant comment if he can relate to us the public and MT readers if there is a Local list somewhere online, maybe, naming Convicted paedophile criminals and paedophile file sharers online, including their addresses . I think a list with such names is useful so that the public would be aware of these treacherous sick heads. Some of them are still roaming among us, a dim court judgment I know of, was just a fine and a smeared conduct, which I think was not enough. A fine does not solve any problems, not even to a certain extent, psychiatric treatment or consultation. These people should be shunned by the public. It is the duty of the Authorities to name these concealed creatures publicly.