Michelle Martin, the ex-wife of Marc Dutroux, will be released without conditions this Friday. The Belgian Justice has reported this to the relatives of the victims of Dutroux, according to a Tuesday evening published Facebook message from Paul Marchal, father of one of the victims. Martin, who was sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2004, was released early in 2012 under conditions. Those conditions are now gone ten years later.
Martin, 62, was sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2004 for complicity in, among other things, the kidnapping, kidnapping and rape of six girls, and the murder of four of the six girls. Martin knew about her husband’s atrocities, but did nothing about it. Thirty years in prison was the maximum sentence she could receive. Martin had been in prison since 1996, when she was already accused of involvement in the actions of Dutroux, who was sentenced to life in prison in 2004.
Martin was released on conditions in 2012 after repeated requests. She received mandatory psychological counseling from a therapist, was not allowed to make statements in the media and was not allowed to contact the victims or their loved ones. In addition, she was not allowed to go on holiday or move without permission.
The father of victim An Marchal reacts in his Facebook message to the expired conditions: “It remains difficult … especially on a day like today. So many years ago, An was ripped from our lives on August 23. It all becomes so much more difficult when you just now receive a court letter with the business notification that the conditions linked to Martin’s provisional freedom are being canceled.”
Also read this story about how confidence in the Belgian government fell through the Dutroux case