Dutroux complains about media coverage at trial

The man accused of kidnapping, raping and murdering several girls in Belgium yesterday complained that media coverage has prevented him from getting a fair hearing in a trial, which is nearing its end.

Marc Dutroux's protest was made to AB3, a private television channel, in a letter which claimed that "the media conditioned people to hate me". He added that "organised crime has infiltrated itself into our institutions and into all other organs of power to the point where no-one dares denounce the scale of the problem".

Prosecutors wound up their case against the convicted child rapist accused of crimes in 1995-6 that rocked Belgium. Dutroux is charged with kidnapping and imprisoning four girls in a cellar at his home in a suburb of Charleroi where two eight-year-olds are thought to have starved to death. Two other girls were rescued and were witnesses in the trial.

Dutroux, 47, has admitted kidnapping and abusing girls, but claims he was working for a criminal network with co-defendant, Michel Nihoul.

Michel Bourlet, for the prosecution, said more than 500 witnesses had made it clear Dutroux, his former wife, Michelle Martin, Nihoul and another co-defendant, Michel Lelievre, were all guilty.