BB FANS

on 28th May 1996 Sabine Dardenne was kidnapped my Marc Dutroux. She was twelve and found 80 days later living in a room 3 feet by 6 feet and not big enough to stand up in. In her book she says I need to write this book for three reasons: so that people stop giving me strange looks and treating me like curiosity, so that no one asks me any more questions ever again, and so that the judicial system never again frees a paedophile for ''good behaviour''

Sabine writes an account of her life from the day she was abducted in Belgium until the trial some eight years later. She never speaks of the horrenduos sexual abuse she was subjected to, only to say it was so terrible she was forced to wear nappies to stem the bleeding. A remarkable woman with an amazing strength of character, she was fed lie after lie and she later found out other girls had been murdered in the room she was forced to live in at the hands of this paedophile who had already been in prison and released early for good behaviour Its obviously upsetting to read but she really is a remarkable woman to have foud the strength just to survive. She wrote letters to her family which are published. They were the main evidence used in the trial as they describe in detail her sexual abuse (though this is thankfully removed in the book)

Its only about a year old so only available in hardback but I was able to get it from the library.

I read a lot about this when it first came out but decided not to get the book as I thought it would be too harrowing. How did you cope with it HC?

well she doesn't speak at all of her sexual abuse it was more about her coping strategies while she was locked up. I think the fact that is was written by her and not a journalists report also helps as it is not sensationalising. Seeing how pretty she was on the front cover and what she must have gone through to write it and speak at the trial etc I almost felt like 'well if she has the courage to write it I should have the courage to read it' if that makes sense. it really isn't sensationalised. She has never ever spoken of the sexual abuse to her family she left it for them to read about if they chose but they never read the letters where she described it in detail and I think she asked that they didn't go to court on the day they were read.

I would read it ellie, I know what you're saying but it really isn't like that thought upsetting in parts obviously.

I know what you mean about feeling you owe it to her to read. I feel like that about some books and even some movies (if they are true stories). I found the newspaper reports really harrowing, but of course that is just a drop in the ocean compared to her experiences. I think since I had children, I find anything like this to difficult to read, because my imagination works overtime and gives me nightmares. I may give it a go though.

yeah I think thats why I cried this morning over missing my children this week. it wasn't what happened because I dont know the details but it was more that she wrote to her mum and promised to be good if she could come home. She had been told by her abuser that her mum (via a call to him) had said try and enjoy the sex. He told her countless lies about her parents poor love.