May 7, 1956 - Marc Dutroux
His case became one of the most disturbing criminal proceedings in modern European history not only for what he did, but for what it revealed about institutional failure — police errors, bureaucratic breakdowns, and early release despite prior convictions allowed further crimes to occur. A network of accomplices, questions about broader connections, and the deaths of children in his custody prompted mass public protest in Belgium and a crisis of confidence in the country's justice and law enforcement systems.
From Wikipedia
Marc Paul Alain Dutroux (French: [maʁk pɔl alɛ̃ dytʁu]; born 6 November 1956) is a Belgian convicted serial killer, serial rapist, and child molester. Initially convicted for the abduction and rape of five young girls in 1989, Dutroux was released on parole after just three years' imprisonment. He was arrested again in 1996 on suspicion of having abducted, tortured, and sexually abused six girls aged between 8 and 19, four of whom were killed. Dutroux's widely publicized trial ended with his conviction on all charges in 2004; he was subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment.
Dutroux's accomplices included his wife, Michelle Martin; Michel Lelièvre; Michel Nihoul; and Bernard Weinstein. Martin was convicted and sentenced to 30 years in prison, and Lelièvre to 25 years. Nihoul, "a Brussels businessman, pub-owner and familiar face at sex parties", was initially tried as an accomplice to the kidnappings but was acquitted owing to insufficient evidence; he was instead convicted of involvement in a gang that participated in human and drug trafficking, and was sentenced to five years in prison. Weinstein was never tried as he was murdered by Dutroux before being identified as an accomplice.
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