A Belgian court Monday turned down a request by notorious child sex killer Marc Dutroux for early release from prison to serve out the rest of his sentence at home under electronic surveillance. The ruling against Belgium's "most hated man," cited the risk he might offend again after being jailed for life in 2004 for the kidnap and rape between June 1995 and August 1996 of six young and teenage girls, four of whom died. bur/bmm/txw

Notorious Belgian child serial killer Marc Dutroux appeared Monday before a special court seeking to be released and placed under house arrest with an electronic tag. His appeal for early release comes just three months before he completes 16 years of his life sentence for the kidnap and rape of six girls, and the murder of four of his victims, in one of the darkest episodes in Belgium's criminal history.