A 50-year-old Antwerp-based entrepreneur of Moroccan origin has been acquitted of rape charges by the Antwerp Court of Appeal. The case related to a 2018 sexual encounter with a 47-year-old woman from Brussels, whom he had met on the dating app Tinder, where he presented himself as «Ben», a muscular Italian man. According to Belgian media reports, the two had agreed to engage in a sexual encounter inspired by the novel «Fifty Shades of Grey», with the woman consenting to wear a blindfold during their meeting. However, during intercourse, she removed the blindfold and discovered that her partner did not match his online profile but was instead a Moroccan man with a visible belly. The woman subsequently filed rape charges, arguing that her consent had been based on deception. She was represented by lawyer Christine Mussche, who brought in Professor Liesbeth Stevens from the Institute for the Equality of Women and Men to testify. Professor Stevens supported the view that the encounter could be considered rape under Belgium's updated sexual offense laws. The appeals court, however, dismissed this argument, ruling that the woman had given explicit prior consent to «blindfolded sex» with a stranger. The court also questioned Professor Stevens' objectivity and rejected the advisory opinion provided by her institute. As a result, the defendant was acquitted.
