The trial of Kim De Gelder for the murder of two babies and a care worker at a crèche in Dendermonde in 2009 will be delayed, after his lawyer last week filed a motion to have the investigating magistrate carry out a number of supplementary enquiries.

In addition to the three murders allegedly committed during a knife rampage at the Fabeltjesland crèche, De Gelder (pictured) is also accused of killing an elderly woman on a farm in nearby Vrasene one week prior to the attack.

Last week it was reported that the prosecution in the case intends to file another 25 charges of attempted murder – one for each of the staff present at the crèche on the day of the attack. The prosecution will argue that De Gelder went there with the intention of killing everyone.

The investigation, according to the magistrate in the case, is now complete and ready to be presented to a court, which they hoped to do last week so that a trial date could be set. But the application from De Gelder’s counsel well delay proceedings.

The file now goes back to the investigating magistrate. No details are available of the exact nature of the new enquiries, however, one of them may involve appointing a new panel of psychiatrists to determine if De Gelder is mentally fit to stand trial at all.