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Day in court for âmost hated manâ (in Belgium)
A despicable creature gets his day in court...BELGIUMâS "most hated man", Marc Dutroux, finally goes on trial today, eight years after his arrest for a brutal spree of abductions, rapes and murders of schoolgirls that shocked his country and the world. More than 300 police will be deployed around the Palace of Justice in the small town of Arlon for the hearings into the alleged crimes of Dutroux and three co-defendants, which has been dubbed "the trial of the century" in Belgium. The trial of the 47-year-old former electrician, who has been in custody ever since that dark summer of 1996, promises to be a long and emotional affair, lasting at least two months and hearing more than 450 witnesses. But whether the trial will answer all of the questions being asked by Belgians remains to be seen. Many believe Dutroux lay at the sinister heart of a pedophile ring that encompassed politicians, judges and policemen. The fact that the trial has taken so long to begin has only emboldened the conspiracy theorists. According to a poll last week, 68 per cent of Belgians believe Dutroux and his accomplices had protection from "people in high places". Almost as many, 66 per cent, said Dutroux should face the death penalty, which was abolished in Belgium in 1996, a month before his arrest. ...more... Wow! 66% favoring the death penalty - now that is an eye-opener... I guess when something hits close enough to home, it becomes more real - with a corresponding shift in the response. One could say that this indicates that, rather than posturing and pontificating about Americaâs use of the death penalty, perhaps the Posted by: .com 2004-02-29 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=27140 |