The darkest day of his life, according to QPR star Ilais Chair, was a brawl in Belgium that resulted in someone being hit by a rock and suffering a cracked skull.
Ilais Chair, a QPR star, acknowledges that his attack was “the darkest day of my life” and that he received a 12-month prison sentence after leaving his victim with a cracked skull.
His nightmare arose from an occurrence in the summer of 2020, when Chair, then 22, was on vacation with family and friends. After a kayaking trip in Belgium’s Ardennes Forest, another party began arguing about who would take the bus back from the expedition.
The man described in the case as Niels T was a member of the other group, and when a fight broke out, Chair’s mother was caught in the middle. According to Belgium’s public prosecutor, “hitting, scratching, and biting” occurred during the confrontation. At the conclusion of the event, Niels T was found on the ground with a 2cm skull fracture, and Chair was identified as the man who hit him over the head with a stone.
Only in January 2024 did Chair discover he was the subject of criminal proceedings. The event had escalated from a civil to a criminal issue, but he had no idea he needed to appear in court. He later requested a new hearing, armed with lawyers, but his motion was denied.
Chair was left to absorb a two-year prison term, with 12 months suspended. He also agreed to pay the victim €15,000 (£12,800) in compensation. Jaber, Chair’s cousin, was sentenced to six months in prison for his involvement in the brawl.
Reflecting on the entire experience, the QPR star told The Athletic: “That was probably the darkest day of my life.” You instinctively think of the worst-case scenario: everything I’ve worked for, everything I’ve done for myself and my family, could be lost. Even now, thinking about it gets me sad.
“I simply saw my mother on the floor, vulnerable and scared, and I reacted. Everything happened so quickly in response to what was happening. Regardless, that should never have occurred. I wrote him and his family a letter in which I expressed my deepest regret and apologised. I told them I wished them nothing but the best in life.
Chair later talked with the court, and his felony conviction was lowered to 150 hours of community service and a €1,600 (£1,400) fine when it was downgraded to a misdemeanour.
He explained: “I spoke with the judge, and I believe the judge appreciated the human aspect of the entire case. As a young guy, seeing your mother on the floor with bruises is not an excuse to do what I did. However, it was a natural and human reaction to the situation.
“I expressed it throughout the process, and I reiterated it to the judge that day: I am deeply sorry for what happened to that individual. I only wish I could take it back. My heartfelt apologies to the entire family.
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