'Beast of Belgium' Dutroux jailed for life

The Beast of Belgium, Marc Dutroux, was jailed for life today for a spate of child kidnappings, rapes and murders that horrified the nation and drew international notoriety.

In a 50-page decision read by Judge Stephane Goux, Dutroux was described as “a danger to society”.

The sentencing brought closure to a three-and-a-half month trial and a case that haunted Belgium for nearly a decade, leading to judicial and police reforms and crackdowns on child sex crimes.

Dutroux, 47, was convicted last Thursday of kidnapping, raping and killing young girls in 1995-96.

He kept victims locked in a secret dungeon hidden in his basement.

His sentencing, determined jointly by a 12-member jury and three-judge panel, was carried live on Belgian television with the presiding judge reading aloud the verdict of more than 200 counts against Dutroux and three co-defendants.

In Belgium, no appeal of a jury verdict is possible, except on procedural grounds. In that case, the supreme court reviews the verdict.