Court sentences Tournai man for 2011 murder of neighbour

A Tournai resident, Thomas Couvreur, 29 has been sentenced to life in prisonfor the 2011 murder of his neighbour Caroline Vyncke (pictured).

Vyncke, 42, was stabbed to death in Moorsele, West Flanders, on 8 February, 2011. Although her boyfriend reported her disappearance the following day, it was only in April that body parts were recovered from the Heulebeek stream in Moorsele.

At the time, Vyncke’s boyfriend confessed to the murder but later retracted his confession. It was eventually Couvreur who was caught and charged. Police found Vyncke’s mobile phone and a penknife with traces of her DNA at his home.They also found her DNA in his sink drains.

Couvreur had a record ofviolent crimes, larceny and drugs, while his father, ex-girlfriend and a neighbour all told the court that he was a dangerous man.