The Liège public prosecutor's office on Friday requested a one-year prison sentence at the Liège Criminal Court for a 22-year-old man accused of possessing and distributing images of sexual assaults on minors.
The defendant, a fan of extreme violence, had amassed images of sexual abuse, zoophilia, gang rapes and murder scenes on his computer. He used the fake login 'Marc Dutroux' to gain access to paedophile chat sites on the Internet.
The man's actions, which began in 2019, were denounced in July 2020 by an American organisation dedicated to protecting missing or exploited children.
In court, he admitted taking pleasure in watching suffering on the Internet. He also admitted to creating fake Facebook accounts. He said he had rejected all romantic relationships, for fear of being a psychopath.
An expert issued a report in which he stated that the defendant still had a great deal of work to do to meet probation conditions, and the young man declared his willingness to comply.
The public prosecutor confirmed a request for a one-year prison term, while the defence requested probation and a suspended sentence.
Sentencing is scheduled for 28 June.
