I was fall guy for paedophile gang, claims Dutroux

CHILD rapist Marc Dutroux has claimed he was the scapegoat for a shadowy paedophile gang, as for the first time he gave graphic evidence yesterday at a trial that has Belgium in its lurid grip.

On the third day of the trial, Dutroux addressed the court from behind bullet-proof glass to claim two police officers were part of a sinister network that kidnapped and raped girls to order. He recounted his role in the horrifying series of events that led to the discoveries of the bodies of four girls and the rescue of two others in the summer of 1996.

Dutroux lost his composure only once during his three-hour testimony, when asked by judge, Stephane Goux, to sum up how he felt about those events.