Hainaut assize jury convicts Paolo Falzone of seven murders
A Hainaut jury's murder verdict turns the Strépy carnival crash into a landmark Belgian assize case.
In 30 seconds
- The assize jury found Paolo Falzone guilty of seven murders.
- The assize jury found Antonino Falzone guilty of non-assistance to persons in danger.
- The crash happened in Strépy-Bracquegnies during carnival preparations on 20 March 2022.
- Belgian court-system guidance says assize sentencing follows a separate penalty debate after a guilty verdict.
Paolo Falzone (the driver tried over the Strépy-Bracquegnies carnival crash) is the central convicted defendant in the Hainaut assize case. Antonino Falzone, also referred to as Nino Falzone in earlier coverage, was the passenger in the car and was tried separately for his conduct after the crash. Strépy-Bracquegnies (a section of La Louvière in Hainaut province) is the Walloon locality where the crash happened during carnival preparations. La Louvière (industrial city in the Centre region of Hainaut) hosts a major carnival tradition tied to local Gilles groups. The Hainaut assize court in Mons (the provincial jury court for the gravest crimes in Hainaut) heard the case. Gilles (traditional carnival figures in parts of Hainaut, best known from the Binche-area tradition) are central to the local procession culture. The Court of Cassation (Belgium's supreme court for legal, not factual, review) is the possible route for a procedural challenge after an assize judgment.
Background
The 20 March 2022 crash became a national shock because it struck a local carnival gathering in Strépy-Bracquegnies. Earlier contemporaneous accounts recorded six immediate deaths and dozens of injured people; the lead item now reports seven murders in the verdict, indicating the court's count at the trial stage. Belgian assize procedure has itself been contested: the Constitutional Court's 2017 judgment 148/2017 annulled part of a reform that would have reduced assize jurisdiction, citing the constitutional place of jury trials for the gravest crimes. The European Court of Human Rights' 2010 Taxquet v Belgium judgment also pushed Belgium to strengthen the reasoning of assize verdicts.
Why now
The story is timely because the guilt phase of the Hainaut assize trial has produced verdicts against both named defendants. That legal step changes the case from trial evidence and argument into a formal finding of criminal responsibility, with sentencing still to follow.
What to watch
Watch the sentencing phase in Mons, any statements from victims' lawyers or defence counsel after the penalty decision, and whether either defendant later seeks cassation review. The key legal signal will be the court's reasoning on sentence and any procedural challenge that follows.
What to do
For readers, nothing changes immediately in road or carnival rules because this is a criminal verdict, not a regulatory reform. The practical point is civic and legal: public-event safety, emergency response duties and the consequences of extreme driving will remain live issues for municipalities, organisers and anyone attending large local gatherings.
How we got here
- 2022-03-20
A car struck a carnival gathering in Strépy-Bracquegnies, causing deaths and dozens of injuries according to contemporaneous accounts.
- 2017-12-21
The Constitutional Court's judgment 148/2017 limited a reform reducing the role of assize courts for serious crimes.
- 2026-06-12
The Hainaut assize jury found Paolo Falzone guilty of seven murders and Antonino Falzone guilty of non-assistance to persons in danger.
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This story was assembled from verified evidence, with its sources and reasoning recorded as it was written.