Dutroux bid for parole horrifies Belgians

Belgium’s notorious serial paedophile killer Marc Dutroux has asked a special court for early release after serving 16 years of a life sentence for the kidnap, rape and gruesome murder of several young girls.

The country’s most reviled criminal was escorted under heavy surveillance from a high-security prison to the central Brussels courthouse as a helicopter hovered overhead and 125 officers stood guard over the court building.

Weeks before he can formally lodge a request for early release on Apr 30, Dutroux, 56, was at a closed-door hearing that lasted almost two hours and asked to be placed under house arrest with an electronic tag.