Wife and accomplice of Europe's most notorious serial killer freed

Families of the victims of Europe's most notorious paedophile killer are outraged over a court's decision to set free his wife and accomplice.

A Belgian court ruled in favour of the early release of Michelle Martin yesterday, just a third of the way through her 30-year prison sentence for helping Marc Dutroux, who kept his victims in a cellar in Charleroi in Belgium where he repeatedly raped them.

Martin, 51, was granted conditional release by a court in the western city of Mons after her fourth attempt to win early freedom.

Dutroux, 54, was jailed for life in June 2004 for the kidnapping and rape of six young girls, four of whom died, in the mid-Nineties. Martin knew two of the victims were starving to death in the cellar beneath her but did nothing to help them. She was found guilty of complicity in the deaths of two of the girls.

The Mons prosecutor, who opposes her release, has until today to appeal against the ruling. "I take note of the court's decision. We will see whether there are reasons to appeal," said justice minister Stefaan de Clerck.

The families of the victims are pleading for the court's decision to be overturned. "She's the murderer of my daughter- 15 years seems light," said Jean-Denis Lejeune, father of one of the two eight-year-olds. "We're allowing a monster out into society."

The family of another victim, Eefje Lambrecks, said they opposed Martin's release because "she never voiced sincere regrets".