Tony Van den Boggaert, a family acquaintance of [[Regina Louf]] (witness X1), operated as her pimp from her early teens during the 1970s and 1980s in Ghent, Belgium. Louf claimed Van den Boggaert, a friend of her family, took control of her prostitution at age 12, leasing her to parties organized by [[Michel Nihoul]]. Van den Boggaert transported Louf to locations including Amsterdam brothels and Brussels mansions equipped with hidden cameras for blackmail. He managed her schedule, ensuring she performed sexual acts with clients at these events, where she was used as entertainment for businessmen and politicians. Louf stated Van den Boggaert introduced her to Nihoul's circle, where she was sold for services at parties escalating to violence. He accompanied her to the 1984 murder of [[Christine Van Hees]] at a mushroom farm in Brussels, where she was forced to watch the torture and killing by Dutroux, Nihoul, [[Bernard Weinstein]], and lawyer Michel Vander Elst. Van den Boggaert's role extended to facilitating her participation in orgies at Nihoul's chateau in the Ardennes, where contracts were sealed with sexual acts involving children.[^1] Van den Boggaert's involvement in Louf's exploitation began after her grandmother [[Cecile Beernaert]] introduced her to the network through childhood prostitution at a Knokke-Heist brothel near [[Royal Zoute Golf Club]]. Louf described him as her "owner" after Beernaert, managing her as a child prostitute leased to Nihoul's parties. He drove her to these events, where she was trafficked to clients including [[Paul Vanden Boeynants]] at locations like the Dolo nightclub and Faulx-les-Tombes chateau. Van den Boggaert ensured compliance with threats and drugs, positioning her for filmed blackmail. Louf's testimony detailed a 1983 incident with Carine Dellaert, where Van den Boggaert delivered her to a house for rape after childbirth, involving Nihoul and Dumont. His activities aligned with the broader network documented in the [[X-Dossier]], where Louf identified him as a key figure in her grooming and transport.[^1] Van den Boggaert died in 1995, halting potential testimony before the X-Dossier's compilation in 1996. His death, reported as suicide, occurred amid the network's operations, with no autopsy details disclosed. Louf claimed he maintained records of events, but no such documents surfaced in the investigation. His association with Nihoul's parties, where he supplied Louf, linked to business contracts and elite attendees like Counts [[Count Leopold Lippens]] and [[Count Maurice Auguste Lippens]]. The X-Dossier summary noted Van den Boggaert's role in providing girls to these gatherings, with Louf describing him driving her to Amsterdam's red light district for prostitution.[^1] ### Role in Exploitation Van den Boggaert controlled Louf's prostitution from age 12, arranging encounters at Nihoul's Avenue Louise mansion with built-in cameras capturing acts for leverage in business deals. Louf testified he filmed some sessions himself, using the footage for further blackmail. He took her to the 1984 Van Hees murder at the factory farm, where she was locked in another room during the torture. For Dellaert, Van den Boggaert brought Louf to the site where she assisted the birth before the group rape, with the baby taken away. Louf's accounts placed him at orgies where children were used as incentives for contracts, with violence escalating to snuff for high-paying clients.[^1] Louf described Van den Boggaert's family ties facilitating her entry into the network, with Beernaert selling her to him around age 12. He leased her services to Nihoul, who hosted events at the Dolo and chateau, where Louf performed oral and anal acts with multiple men, filmed for binding agreements. Van den Boggaert ensured her availability for hunts in the Ardennes, where children fled woods, caught and abused based on payment. He introduced her to drugs and violence, preparing her for parties with elites like Vanden Boeynants, where she was branded and forced into acts with dogs at ASCO factory.[^1] Van den Boggaert's pimp role included transport in his car for these events, from Ghent to Brussels and beyond. Louf stated he had sexual relations with her from an early age, contributing to her dissociative identity disorder. His 1995 death by suicide prevented cross-examination, but Louf's testimony in the X-Dossier detailed his facilitation of her abuse, tying to [[Jean-Marc Connerotte]]'s probe. No further criminal records for Van den Boggaert beyond association with the network were documented.[^1] ### Connections Van den Boggaert connected to the network through Beernaert, who operated the Knokke brothel where Louf was initially prostituted. He worked with Nihoul to supply girls, attending parties where contracts were sealed. Louf claimed Van den Boggaert knew of the 1984 Van Hees murder, present with Dutroux and others. His role linked to [[Michelle Martin]]'s filming at parties, with tapes seized from Dutroux containing similar content. Van den Boggaert's death in 1995, reported as suicide, occurred before Dutroux's arrest, limiting direct links but noted in X-Dossier summaries.[^1] Louf's testimony connected him to [[Jean-Paul Dumont]] and lawyer circles, with events at castles and factories. The network overlapped with [[Spartacus International]] through shared contacts, though Van den Boggaert's specific ties remained Louf's claims. His family background in Ghent facilitated access to victims, with Louf describing him as a family friend who groomed her from childhood. Post-death, no assets or records seized linked him further, but his role aligned with pimp activities in the X-Dossier's elite network descriptions.[^1] Van den Boggaert's associations included figures like [[Paul Vanden Boeynants]], at whose parties Louf was supplied. Louf identified him in photos as the man who drove her to events with [[Marleen De Cokere]] and Nihoul. His suicide note or details were not public, but timing aligned with internal pressures in the network, amid investigations into related rings like [[CRIES]].[[^1]] ### Footnotes [^1]: Dovey, S. (2023). Eye of the Chickenhawk. United States: Thehotstar.