Belgium: Dutroux goes on trial

Radio Netherlands ^ | Februari 27 2004 | Remco de Jong

[knighthawk]

Belgium is anticipating Monday's opening of the long-awaited trial of Marc Dutroux and three others charged in connection with a series of horrifying child kidnaps and murders in the 1990s.

Almost eight years on from the original arrest of the four accused, the Belgian judiciary can now begin on the conclusion of the paedophile sex abuse scandal which has gripped the country for so long.

Marc Dutroux stands accused of abducting, imprisoning and raping six young girls. Four of the victims – An, Eefje, Julie and Mélissa - were killed. His then wife, Michelle Martin, is accused of aiding and abetting him with the abductions, as is his accomplice Michel Lelièvre. The fourth accused, Michel Nihoul, is alleged to have supplied drugs to Michel Lelièvre, an addict. Supplies of ecstasy may possibly have been used as payment for the kidnapping of Laetitia Delhez, one of two girls who survived their abduction.

80 days in captivity The case first came to light when Laetitia was dragged into a delivery van in the small French-speaking town of Bertrix on 9 August 1996. A local resident jotted down the initial letters of the vehicle's number plate, which quickly put the police on the trail of Marc Dutroux. He, Michel Lelièvre and Michelle Martin were subsequently arrested on 13 August of the same year. But it was not until Michel Lelièvre, who was suffering withdrawal symptoms, began to make partial confessions that Marc Dutroux also began to cooperate with the police. "I'll give you two girls," he told his interrogators, who then took him to a cellar in Marcinelle, not far from the city of Charleroi. There, they found Laetitia and Sabine Dardenne, who had then spent 80 days in captivity.

In the days that followed, it began to emerge that the police had in fact visited the very same cellar a year earlier during a search for missing girls. One detective even heard children's voices at the time, but thought they came from outside in the street.

The police investigation following the 1996 arrests soon revealed that the different Belgian investigative authorities had hindered, if not frustrated, each others' efforts, and that the lives of the children could have been saved.

The Belgian public protest These findings unleashed an enormous public outcry, which flared up still further when the man leading the investigation was taken off the case. The reason given for that decision: his presence at a party also attended by the two girls who were found alive in the cellar. The Belgian public suspected this was the first step in a cover-up operation, and took to the streets on 20 October 1996.

The so-called "White March" through the capital, Brussels, attracted some 300,000 private individuals. Bowing to public pressure, parliament launched a parliamentary committee of inquiry, headed by Marc Verwilghen. Its findings were damning for both the police and the judicial authorities.

In 1998, Marc Dutroux escaped from custody after overpowering two federal police officers. This sparked off renewed commotion, and led to the resignation of the two ministers - for justice and home affairs – who held immediate responsibility for the failure.

Trial by jury The criminal investigation into Marc Dutroux did not proceed smoothly, partly because of disagreement about whether he had acted alone or worked as part of network which abducted children to order. Hardly any evidence was found to support that theory – yet it came as a surprise when Michel Nihoul is also committed for trial by jury. In Belgium, jury trials are reserved for the most serious of crimes only. With a number of previous fraud convictions, and known to have run establishments where sex parties were held, Michel Nihoul is alleged to have played an indirect role in the abduction of Laetitia.

The trial itself is expected to last about three months. Marc Dutroux's defence team will focus on the fact that the details of the prosecution case have been leaked and reported on extensively in the media. This will be used to argue that the jury has already been influenced and will be unable to arrive at an objective verdict.

The parents of Julie and Mélissa have made it known they will not be attending the trial in the court of the town of Arlon. They no longer have any faith in the Belgian legal system because, even though eight years have passed since their children were murdered, the authorities have yet to uncover exactly what happened to them.

[knighthawk]

Ping

[demnomo]

This case should be one of the most horrific examples of evil and yet very few people outside of Belgium have heard of it.

From what I have gathered, Detroux must have had powerful accomplices and clients for his depraved, lurid and murderous activities with innocent young girls.

May God and His angels be with the victims and may the full justice of God not be spared on the scum involved in this wickedness. Detroux does not appear to be getting his due in this life, that's for sure.

[csvset]

People place flowers in remembrance of the young victims killed by Belgian Marc Dutroux on Thursday. Dutroux, a convicted rapist charged with kidnapping and killing four girls in 1996, will go on trial on Monday for his heinous crimes. -- AFP

[knighthawk]

Detroux must have had powerful accomplices and clients for his depraved

Yeas, there are claims his 'clients' are top government people and so on. That is why lots of people think there will be a huge cover-up.