Family of murdered Belgian girl agrees to French trial

2 June 2005

BRUSSELS – Serial killer Michel Fourniret is almost certain to escape justice in Belgium, with a French court trying him for his murder of Namur 12-year-old Elisabeth Brichet.

It was already clear that French police and the judiciary would be ready to try Fourniret before their Belgian counterparts and both sides of the investigation had stressed it was possible he could be tried in France for his Belgian crimes.

On Thursday, that possibility seemed to come closer as the families of victims whose murders are being investigated by the Belgian police gave their blessing for a French trial and called for it to start on June 2006 “at the latest”.

At a press conference in the French town of Charleville-Mezieres, the lawyer of Brichet’s family, Jean-Maurice Arnould, said the family had agreed, along with the relatives of Celine Saison, Manyana Thumpong and Fabienne Leroy.

Fourniret has confessed to eight murders so far, including kidnapping Brichet, in December 1989 in Namur, in southern Belgium, trying to rape her and then strangling her.

He also murdered 20-year-old Frenchwoman Leroy, as well as 18-year-old Saison and 13-year-old Thumpong, both from France and whose bodies were found buried in Belgium.

Subject: Belgian news