Laetitia wants to know the truth (Georges Henri Beauthier)

Three questions to Georges Henri Beauthier. Laetitia Delhez's lawyer, who is with Sabine Dardenne, one of the survivors”. Portrait …

(B2) Georges-Henri Beauthier is a lawyer as you might like them. Precise, clear, decisive, he doesn't spend his time parading around with beautiful formulas, but he doesn't mince these words either. Former president of the Human Rights League, he is not really a beginner. And he loves the causes that are just for him. He was thus the defender of the civil parties in many international cases initiated in Belgium against the Rwandan genocidaires and dictators of all stripes (Pinochet, Yerodia, Saddam Hussein, etc.). While his colleague Jan Fermon defended the civil parties in a lawsuit brought against General Franks. A fine team which succeeded – a feat – in bringing Michel Nihoul before the Assize Court, while the investigation was underway and certain judges were leaning towards an acquittal.

• Why did you reintroduce Nihoul in this trial, you don't believe in the isolated pervert?

The investigation was conducted in such a way that we found ourselves with an isolated pervert, a stooge and a holy nincompoop. But there are indeed four people involved, a criminal gang... Martin (Dutroux's wife) was already involved in the rape of 1985. Lelièvre is not the little drug addict under Nihoul's orders. When he rapes, he's not the little stooge. As for Dutroux, with 4 daughters, alive, in his house, where it is necessary to organize life together without them meeting, meals, etc. it’s a job in its own right. It is not a pedophile alone in his cage who rapes. No !

• Will this trial reveal what really happened?

There will certainly be bits of truth. Probably not the whole truth. But they (the four accused) will have to tell the ultimate truth, there will be no time after that. This is what my client wants. Laetitia especially does not want to be complained. She tells me "I need to know what truth they are going to tell. Why me, what were they going to do with me? Who wanted to do what?” We had at least 8 x 4 versions on the period in which Laetitia and Sabine were kidnapped, one day it was to expand Dutroux's family, the other day to keep Sabine company or put them in a network. Finally, we should be told which of these versions is the correct one.

• Sabine Dardenne will come to the trial to testify, will Laetitia do it too?

Laetitia is in a completely different angle. She wants to be left alone, and at the same time, she hopes to be a victim who is worthy of it. Am I going to be a good witness? This question, this kind of guilt that hovers… it’s terrible. "Here we find all the perversity of Dutroux's crime, who helped these girls play Nintendo, or gave them chocolate after the rape. We now have contact every day with Laetitia. She's not the same every day. There are days when it's calm, others there's excitement, sometimes there's tears. Laetitia greatly admires Sabine and her courage to confront Dutroux. She doesn't know if she will have this will. Leading a normal life is her way of solving this problem. This issue of rape that we put in front of everyone is painful...

Interview by Nicolas Gros-Verheyde, in Brussels

Published in France-Soir