A very important event in our national history, the long awaited trial. The first day, on the opening debate, Marc Dutroux fell asleep.
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Belgian child-killing trial opens
One of Belgium’s most notorious men has gone on trial amid tight police security in the town of Arlon.
Marc Dutroux is accused of kidnapping and abusing six girls aged from eight to 19 in the 1990s, and of murdering four of them.
The case has taken eight years to come to trial, partly because police were investigating claims that Mr Dutroux was part of a wider paedophile ring.
Perceived police incompetence triggered huge demonstrations in Belgium.
Mr Dutroux, who has admitted abducting and imprisoning girls but denies murdering them, appeared in the courtroom with his co-defendants behind bullet-proof glass.
People want to believe that I am at the centre of everything – they are mistaken
Marc Dutroux
He is standing trial with his estranged wife, Michelle Martin, 44, businessman Michel Nihoul, 62, and Michel Lelievre, 32, a drug addict alleged to have helped Mr Dutroux kidnap several young girls.
The first day of the trial, which is expected to last three months and cost 4.6 million euros (£3m), will be devoted to selecting the jury.
Outside the courthouse, more than 200 reporters, photographers and camera crews had gathered while some shops in Arlon posted pictures of the victims in their front windows.
About 300 police guarded the court – they will hope to avoid a repeat of a 1998 incident when Mr Dutroux succeeded in escaping for three hours after overpowering an officer who was guarding him.
A man who was trying to set up a gallows outside the court on Monday morning was arrested, the French AFP news agency reported.
Conspiracy theories
Mr Dutroux has fuelled conspiracy theories by claiming was “used as instrument by others”, according to a letter obtained by Belgian television station VTM on Sunday.
“People want to believe that I am at the centre of everything. They are mistaken,” he said.
All four defendants were arrested in August 1996 by police investigating the abductions of two girls, Sabine Dardenne, then aged 12, and Laetitia Delhez, 14.
The girls were discovered alive two days later in the cellar of a property belonging to Mr Dutroux in the southern town of Charleroi.
Investigators then unearthed the bodies of four other girls who had been missing for more than a year, from the gardens of other Dutroux properties.
They also dug up the body of Bernard Weinstein, an accomplice whom Mr Dutroux has admitted murdering.
Thousands march
Mr Dutroux has accused the Belgian police and justice system of refusing to investigate leads he provided, which he says would prove that he was just part of a wider paedophile conspiracy.
But Belgian officials say that the long time bringing the case to court results partly from the need to investigate these alleged networks, which they say do not exist.
In 1996, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in the White March, one of the biggest protests Brussels has ever seen.
The government – shaken by the immense scale of public anger at perceived police incompetence – promised changes to the constitution to reduce political interference in the judicial process.
By: Geforce - 2nd March 2004 at 13:25
Originally posted by frankvw
Trial will be held in french, although I think in this case, dutch speaking ppl will have a translator.And, yes, laws are federal (at least in this case), so, same laws do apply.
Laws are certainly not always federal, but in this case they are.
It’s a court of assises, with a jury (don’t know the English term), a remainder from the code napoleon.
But trafic rules are different in wallonia, flanders and brussels!!! Transportation, economy, social affairs, agriculture, trade … are not federal. Though Belgium is not a confederation (yet), apart from defence and foreign affairs there’s really not much decided anymore on a federal level, most is local or EU.
Small detail, the Belgian constitution doesn’t say that Belgium has 3 official languages, it says there’s one official language in each community, which means that, if a Flemish gets caught in Wallonia, and he has to go to trial, he better learns some French (or asks for a translator) because French is the only official language! (Brussels being the exception were both French or Dutch or bilingual trials can be requested). 😎
And as the trial takes place in Luxembourg, Wallonia, the trial will be in French, translators are optional.
By: frankvw - 2nd March 2004 at 08:31
Trial will be held in french, although I think in this case, dutch speaking ppl will have a translator.
And, yes, laws are federal (at least in this case), so, same laws do apply.
By: Hand87_5 - 2nd March 2004 at 08:04
I have question for you guys in Belgium.
This trial will take place in The French speaking part of Belgium right?
1) Is the trial handled in both Dutch and French?
2) Are the laws exactly the same in both part of Belgium?
By: Arthur - 1st March 2004 at 21:33
Well, because there is only one Marc Dutroux but there are actually MILLIONS of Belgians. You guys are weird!
Make that extremely weird – Comet likes you…
:confused:
😉
By: frankvw - 1st March 2004 at 20:15
I agree with you there, I would totally rule politics / royals out.
But how do you explain this bank account in Luxembourg, that they only discovered some months ago ? There are dark spots everywhere, as it seems…
By: Geforce - 1st March 2004 at 20:03
Originally posted by Jeanske_SN
What makes me mad is that all this trial and all that has to do about it costs sooooooooooooooooo much money!You speak very good English for a French.
Jeanske, I assume you’re Belgian (Dutch, French?) as well. Don’t underestimate the importancy of this trial. In fact, bringing this up is not a bad image at all for our country, this can happen anywhere in the world. The hysteria after the 1996-events: ministers losing their jobs, the debate on re-introducing the death penalty. If this trial succeeds, I hope for once and for all things can go back normal in Belgium after 8 years of troubles.
Frank, I don’t think there are any hidden answers. AFAIK Dutroux was acting alone (or with 2 companions). He’s a psycho, but the story that members of the gov’t, parl’t and royal family were involved is just another hoax, just like witness X-1.
By: frankvw - 1st March 2004 at 19:53
If all that could be hidden for so long, the trial won’t uncover it… God knows who is involved in that. (Or should I, in this case, say the devil knows ? )
By: Hand87_5 - 1st March 2004 at 19:41
Originally posted by frankvw
And I guess we’ll never get those answers…
Why that Frank ?
By: frankvw - 1st March 2004 at 19:06
And I guess we’ll never get those answers…
And yes, it is a shame that so much money is wasted for such an individual.
Too bad prisons aren’t like in the castles age anymore….
By: Hand87_5 - 1st March 2004 at 19:02
Originally posted by tenthije
Well, Dutroux deserves a fair trail even though everyone knows he is guilty. I sincerely hope that during this trial new revelations will be made. For instance who has been protecting Dutroux as it does seem he enjoyed some protection.
Well , I guess that is THE question….
By: Hand87_5 - 1st March 2004 at 18:56
Originally posted by tenthije
Well, Dutroux deserves a fair trail even though everyone knows he is guilty. I sincerely hope that during this trial new revelations will be made. For instance who has been protecting Dutroux as it does seem he enjoyed some protection.
Well , I guess that is THE question….
By: tenthije - 1st March 2004 at 18:53
Well, Dutroux deserves a fair trail even though everyone knows he is guilty. I sincerely hope that during this trial new revelations will be made. For instance who has been protecting Dutroux as it does seem he enjoyed some protection.
By: Jeanske_SN - 1st March 2004 at 18:33
What makes me mad is that all this trial and all that has to do about it costs sooooooooooooooooo much money!
You speak very good English for a French.
By: Hand87_5 - 1st March 2004 at 17:53
I don’t think that Belgium is the worst place on hearth.
Look the Britons had this mad Doctor who killed hundred of patients and it doesn’t make the UK the msot dangerous country of the world.
Unfortunately every country has to deal with such maniacs sometimes …
By: Jeanske_SN - 1st March 2004 at 16:44
Gee, the press just won’t shut up about it!!!!!!!!
ARGH We all know the answer; het’ll be jailed for the rest of his life. The Belgian press has nothing else to talk about, actually.
THANKYOU for the title, it gives the view like you could get killed by a big chance in Belgium! 😡
By: Hand87_5 - 1st March 2004 at 16:42
Don’t you think that Dutroux is gonna play the scapegoat for some big cheese backstage?
Anyway, Dutroux guilt is not questionable and I wish he will not manage to escape again…. :rolleyes:
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March 1, 2004 at 2:16 pm