Michel Lelievre, born 1967, met [[Marc Dutroux]] in 1995 through a mutual acquaintance and became an accomplice in child abductions for Dutroux's trafficking network. A 28-year-old unemployed man with a minor criminal record, Lelievre assisted in the May 26, 1996, kidnapping of 12-year-old [[Sabine Dardenne]] by positioning himself near her school in a white van registered to [[Michel Nihoul]]'s [[ASCO]] company, while Dutroux seized the girl with chloroform. On August 9, 1996, Lelievre waited in the getaway vehicle during the abduction of 14-year-old [[Laetitia Delhez]] from a bus stop in Bertrix, where a witness noted the van's partial license plate, leading to Dutroux's arrest on August 13. Lelievre was detained shortly after, confessing to participation in exchange for leniency, and present during the rescue of Sabine and Laetitia from the Marcinelle basement dungeon, where the girls clung to Dutroux due to conditioning.[^1] Lelievre described Dutroux's methods of preparing victims for clients, including drugging and hypnosis to ensure submission, and witnessed [[An Marchal]] and [[Eefje Lambrecks]] naked and cleaning tiles during their August 1995 captivity upstairs, noting potential buyers' disinterest. He confirmed Dutroux abducted girls per Nihoul's specifications for sale, with payments funding operations across seven properties. Lelievre's involvement began after Dutroux's March 1996 release from auto theft jail time, during which [[Michelle Martin]] fed basement captives [[Julie Lejeune]] and [[Melissa Russo]], whose bodies were later exhumed from Sars-la-Buissière showing mutilation.[^1] During interrogations, Lelievre detailed Nihoul's role in ordering victims from Slovakia and Czechia, where Dutroux claimed easy access to isolated girls. He recounted a confrontation at the home with a Mercedes driver demanding money after viewing An and Eefje, and Dutroux's boasts of raping and abandoning a girl near Trencin. Lelievre's testimony linked over twenty phone calls between Dutroux and Nihoul around Laetitia's abduction, supporting claims of coordinated trafficking.[^1] ### Participation in Abductions Lelievre aided in scouting locations and handling the van for quick escapes, using ASCO vehicles to photograph schoolgirls for client catalogues. He assisted in subduing victims with sedatives, ensuring transport to the dungeon built in 1993 with [[Claude Thirault]]'s help. During Dutroux's December 1995 incarceration for kidnapping three teens in a truck theft scheme involving accomplice [[Bernard Weinstein]], Lelievre was not yet involved, but later participated in post-release operations that evaded Othello surveillance under Inspector [[Rene Michaux]]. His actions facilitated holding Sabine for months and Laetitia briefly before the arrest.[^1] Lelievre observed video equipment and rape kits in the home, including speculum and chains seized but returned to Martin. He described Dutroux's conditioning techniques, aligning with hypnosis gear found, used to make girls view Dutroux as protector, as seen when Sabine and Laetitia resisted rescuers. Lelievre's accounts confirmed the profit-driven nature, with Dutroux receiving payments traced to European accounts.[^1] ### Legal Outcome Arrested August 1996, Lelievre received a 25-year sentence in 2004 for kidnapping and related crimes, serving less than 10 years before parole in 2005 with restrictions against minor contact. His cooperation reduced charges, testifying against Dutroux and Nihoul at trial, though Nihoul was acquitted of kidnapping. Lelievre's parole conditions mirrored Martin's, including residence monitoring. Post-release, he maintained low profile, with no further violations documented.[^1] Lelievre's testimony implicated Nihoul's network, including parties and blackmail, but was limited by his peripheral role. The trial barred [[Regina Louf|Regina Louf]]'s accounts, yet Lelievre's details supported Judge [[Jean-Marc Connerotte]]'s early findings before his 1996 removal, amid White Marches protests over cover-ups by figures like [[Melchior Wathelet]]. Over twenty witness deaths occurred during proceedings.[^1] ### Footnotes [^1]: Dovey, S. (2023). Eye of the Chickenhawk. United States: Thehotstar.