CHARLEROI, BELGIUM MURDER / RITUAL ABUSE CASE

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The Dutroux Multiple Kidnapping, Abuse and Murder Case

Acting on a tip from eyewitnesses, on 1996-AUG-15, the police raided Dutroux' house. They found a dungeon built in the basement from which they rescued two young girls: Laetitia Delhez and Sabine Dardenne (12 and 14 years old). They told police that they had been raped and videotaped repeatedly. At least 300 child pornography videos were taken as evidence; some featured Dutroux sexually abusing girls. The next day, police dug up the bodies of two 8 year old girls: Julie Lejeune and Melissa Russo, who had been missing for over a year. They are alleged to have been starved to death by Dutroux' wife, while her husband served a short jail sentence for car fraud. Two weeks later, police recover the bodies of two other missing girls: An Marchal and Eefje Lambrecks, aged 17 and 19. They had been buried deeply under the floor of a shack in the garden. Dutroux confessed to raping and killing them.

These findings triggered a country-wide concern over the fate of other girls who had gone missing in Belgium since 1990. At least 15 have vanished. 9 bodies have been recovered; 2 were rescued and 4 are still missing.

Dutroux was well known to police. He had been convicted of raping 5 children, and was released on parole after serving 3 years of a 13 year sentence. Although he was unemployed and receiving welfare, he owned 7 houses and regularly received deposits of tens of thousands of dollars in his bank accounts. Police had been tipped off in 1993 that he was building dungeons in his cellar and intended to confine children there. They had received many other tips subsequently, including a 1995 story from an informant that Dutroux had offered a man at least $3000 to kidnap girls.

5 additional people were arrested. Some were charged with abduction and illegal imprisonment of children. Others were arrested on suspicion of criminal association. One was Dutroux' second wife, Michelle Martin. Another was a Brussels businessman, Jean-Michel Nihoul. He confessed that he had organized sex parties in various Belgian castles with many VIPs as guests.

Judge Connerotte led the investigation. He attended a party to celebrate Laetitia's and Sabine's return which was organized by a non-profit missing children agency, Marc and Corinne Association. The association is named after two 21 and 17 year old young women who were kidnapped and murdered in 1992. He accepted a pen as a symbolic gift for saving the girls' lives. On OCT-14, Connerotte was dismissed by the High Court and another investigative judge was later appointed. In DEC-28, a Belgian newspaper La Derniere Heure claimed that they have a guest list of the attendees of an orgy held in a Belgium chateau. It was allegedly organized by Michel Nihoul, one of Dutroux' alleged accomplices. The orgy included judges, senior politicians, lawyers, police officers and a former European Commissioner. The guest list indicates that the Commissioner "came with a girl, Josette, nicknamed JoJo the Bomb."

These events produced great agitation among the Belgium populace. Many concluded that the police could not be so stupid as to miss so many opportunities to detect Dutroux' activities and arrest him. They concluded that a massive protection operation had been in place to protect politicians, officials in high places, and the child sexual abuse ring. They also believed that the government, police and courts were currently involved in a hush-up. Many public demonstrations were held.

Is There a Satanic Link to the Dutroux Case?

It is worthwhile realizing that in spite of incredible bumbling ineptitude by the police, that Dutroux and accomplices were detected and arrested within 2 years of starting their child abuse/pornography business. This is a good indication that a full-fledged, underground Satanic ritual abuse cult could not exist for long in any country without being exposed. A long established, multi-generational Satanic cult is out of the question.

Belgium Satanic Panic

We are now approaching two decades after the beginning of the panics. Many innocent parents, day care center workers, and Sunday school volunteers have been convicted of ritual abuse. Many of their cases are now being reviewed and overturned. Many government studies in the United States, the Netherlands and the UK have concluded that abusing Satanic cults do not exist. No credible hard evidence of any such abuse has surfaced, in spite of great efforts by police forces over a 15 year period. The belief in Satanic abuse seems to have peaked in the late 1980's, and is now in decline in North America.

But western European countries, like Belgium, have not yet experienced the pain of a full-fledged Satanic panic. The image of the evil "witch" selling her soul to Satan remains part of Christian culture. This idea was created by the churches as an attempt to justify the three centuries of witch burnings in western Europe. It continues today in Hollywood horror movies, TV programs and in children's nursery stories. Belgium is ripe for a panic. And one seems to have started in late 1996.

Starting in late 1996-DEC, Belgian police attempted to link the Dutroux murders and rapes with Satanic sects engaging in ritual abuse. In an exact duplicate of North American and British experiences, five witnesses came forward. They described Satanic black masses attended by prominent members of Belgium society and involving the ritual sacrifice of children. They believe that the Belgium cults are linked with similar groups in Holland, Germany and the US. They claim that parents sold their young babies to the cults for money; other victims were abducted.

References

1. CNN Interactive World News for 1996-AUG-24 at: http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9608/23/belgium.child/
2. Peter Conradi, "Satanic Links to Belgian Murder Trial", Sunday Times, London, UK, 1996-DEC-29, P. 14
3. Dr. Lawrence Pazder and Michelle Smith, Michelle Remembers Pocket Books, (1980), ISBN 0-671-69433-2.
4. Leyla Linton, "Satanic sect raided by child-sex police", London Times, London UK, 1996-DEC-24
5. Traditions of Magic in Late Antiquity: Recipe-Books at: http://www.hti.umich.edu/exhibit/magic/rb.display.html
6. Edward H. Ashment, "The use of Egyptian magical papyri to authenticate the [Mormon] Book of Abraham, Part 2" at: http://shaggy.fusionary.com/mit/ASHMENT2.HTML

Copyright © 2001 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Latest update: 2001-FEB-4
Author: B.A. Robinson