Story By: Joseph Golder, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Newsflash

The coronavirus pandemic has delayed the chance of Belgian paedophile and serial killer Marc Dutroux getting an early release from prison because experts have not been able to visit him to do a psychological profile.

His psychological report was originally due on 11th May, but it will now be handed in at a later date because the psychiatric experts in charge of it requested more time due to the coronavirus pandemic delaying the process, his lawyer revealed.

If the report is positive it could lead to the notorious paedophile and serial killer, who raped a murdered young girls, being released from prison early.

Widely regarded as one of Belgium’s worst criminals, he was jailed for life in 2004 for having kidnapped and raped six young girls, and for having murdered four of them.

In October 2019, a Brussels tribunal ordered a new psychiatric evaluation of Dutroux, who has been in isolation for 23 years.

The report due date was at the time set to be 11th May but according to his lawyer Bruno Dayez, “the tribunal has granted the prolongation requested by the experts, without scheduling a due date.”

The three experts reportedly want their work to be completed with psychological tests that they have not yet been able to conduct.

Mr Dayez added: “They have asked for the intervention of three psychologists” and “everything is currently frozen.”

Dutroux, 63, was arrested in 1996 and eight years later he was jailed for life. During his trial, he was described by mental health experts as a “true psychopath”, a “narcissistic pervert” and a “manipulator”.

But to assess his mental health today, the judiciary has nothing more recent than two reports that were written five years ago by the psychology service at the Nivelles prison, where he is currently being held.

Bruno Dayez wants Dutroux to be freed, which is why he requested a new mental evaluation of his client. Dayez is aiming for Dutroux to be freed in 2021, after 25 years in prison.

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