Brussels judge in hospital after beating

The presiding judge at the Brussels court of assize, Karin Gérard on Tuesday was attacked by three men after she left work. The attackers waited for Gérard around 19.00 outside the Justice Palace as she headed from Rue Quatre Bras to Avenue Louise.

The perpetrators mugged Gérard before delivering several blows, including at least one to the face. They then immediately fled the scene, leaving their severely wounded victim behind on the footpath, writes Het Laatste Nieuws.

Gérard was transferred to Brussels' Saint-Pierre Hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries, including a broken nose. As of last night, police were still looking for the perpetrators. 

Gérard became well-known in Belgium after the 2007 assize trial of the killers of policewoman Kitty Van Nieuwenhuyse. She also led the assize trial of Leopold Storme, the 20-year-old Brussels resident who killed his parents and sister in their fabric shop in the Marolles district.

It is not yet known whether the incident was related to Gérard's work.