Creep of the Week - August 24, 1996

Marc Dutroux

Americans think they have a monopoly on the child sex abuse market. Any discussion on this topic is filled with words and phrases guaranteed to inflame, like Polly Klaas, Willie Horton, chemical castration, and Megan's Law. Politicians often use the issue to demonstrate how depraved the other party is and how they are encouraging the moral decline of our country, of which child molesters are just one symptom. It might interest some of these guys to know that one of the most sadistic pedophiles making news these days isn't from the United States, but from Belgium. Although we haven't heard much about it over here, it has consumed that country and most of Europe.

Marc Dutroux, an unemployed electrician and father of three, confessed this week to a gruesome series of kidnappings, rapes, and killings of an unknown number of teenage girls which make Willie Horton seem like Mary Poppins. Marc kept the girls in a secret cellar in his home where he subjected them to frequent molestation. The cellar went undetected during two police searches. Two of the girls starved to death there when Marc had to go to jail on an unrelated theft charge and he left them in the care of two "accomplices" who evidently didn't follow orders. There are now five such accomplices in custody for these feats, who Marc was paying to "bring me a girl", including his second wife.

Those who follow such stories can guess Marc's history. He was convicted in 1989 for abducting and raping five girls, sentenced to 13 years, but only served three, due to the provisions of the 108-year-old Lejune Law, which reduces criminal sentences by two thirds for good behavior. The outraged countrymen of these victims ought to hire a few American politicians as consultants for some advice on how to turn events like these into political advantage. They'll have to look elsewhere, however, for some constructive ideas on how to prevent them.

Let me know what you think at montgome@servtech.com

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