Images of sexual abuse of minors were found in the prison cell of convicted child rapist and murderer Marc Dutroux in 2024, according to a report by Humo magazine this week.
On Monday evening, the Walloon Brabant Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed to Belga News Agency that a judicial investigation is currently underway.
The case was opened in July 2024 on the basis of information received by the management of Nivelles prison - where Dutroux is serving a life sentence for abduction, rape and murder - that he had a mobile phone and had accessed images of child sexual abuse.
A search of Dutroux's cell was carried out on 31 July. Investigators did not find a phone, but they did find four envelopes containing images of naked women and underage girls.
After various investigations, the case was referred on 8 January 2025 to the Public Prosecutor's Office, which requested additional investigations. On 13 June 2025, the office requested that Dutroux be referred to the criminal court.
During the examination of the case by the chamber of council in November, Dutroux's lawyer requested further investigations.
The investigating judge decided not to grant this request, a decision that was confirmed by the indictment division on 2 January.
"The investigating judge is conducting additional investigations that require the secrecy of the investigations to be respected," Public Prosecutor Marc Rézette told Belga on Tuesday. "The Walloon Brabant public prosecutor's office deeply regrets the disclosure of fragmentary information that does not contribute to the progress of the investigation."
Dutroux kidnapped eight-year-old friends Julie Lejeune and Melissa Russo in a Liège suburb in June 1995. They were imprisoned for months, raped repeatedly and eventually starved to death after Dutroux was arrested for theft.
Dutroux went on to kidnap and murder two teenagers, An Marchal and Eefje Lambrecks, who he buried alive. In May 1996, he abducted 12-year-old Sabine Dardenne and, three months later, 14-year-old Laetitia Delhez. Their rescue, following a tip-off from a witness to Laetitia's abduction, finally led to Dutroux's arrest.
Public fury at police incompetence in the case exploded in October 1996 with the White March, when around 300,000 people marched in silence through Brussels demanding justice and reform. It was the largest demonstration in the country since the Second World War.
Dutroux was tried in 2004 and sentenced to life in prison.
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This article was updated with additional information at 16:40.
