Mother kills 5 children...innocent father gets billed for costs...only in Belgium

Life is more than a little strange in this country, so although this story doesn't surprise me a bit, it does make for a daily dose of humour.

A Belgian man has protested at being asked to pay for the prosecution of his ex-wife who killed their five children, a local newspaper reports.

"I am disgusted and revolted," Bouchaib Moqadem told Le Soir newspaper.

Genvieve Lhermitte was sentenced to life in prison in December 2009 for murdering their son and four daughters while Mr Moqadem was on holiday.

Belgium tries to recover the cost of its prosecutions from those convicted but Lhermitte is insolvent.

So the state has instead sent the 72,743 euros ($97,000; £65,000) bill to Mr Moqadem.

It says the money should come from Lhermitte's share of the sale of their house.

Mr Moqadem's lawyer has reportedly asked for the bill to be written off.

Joker Killer Kim DeGelder suffered from depression for years

VIDEO
"Regret but no remorse"
According to Mr Haentjens, Kim De Gelder didn’t have a “murder plan”.
“He had printed out the addresses of crèches, but why he chose Dendermonde remains a mystery."

De Gelder is reported not to remember anything of what happened on Friday morning and it is not yet clear whether he heard “voices” that told him to carried out the brutal attack on the crèche.
Jaak Haentjens says that his client has expressed regret for what happen.
However, as De Gelder is unable to remember what he did, he is unable to show any real remorse.

As a child, De Gelder is reported to have been lonely and withdrawn.
He suffered from severe depression and at one stage even heard voices in his head.
"There are indications that he suffers from a mental abnormality, but we will have to await the results of psychiatric reports.” Mr Haentjens told journalists.

"He suffered from severe depression when he was fifteen and sixteen and he behaved strangely."
"His parents had wanted him to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital when he was eighteen."
"However, he received out-patients’ treatment from a psychiatrist and it was judged not necessary to admit him to a psychiatric unit.”

Kim De Gelder moved out of the family home last October.
Since then he has only contacted his parents by telephone or text message.
Mr Haentjes concludes that "The issue is simply one of whether or not he was aware of his actions."

"Did he hear voices that made him do what he did?"
"If he acted in a psychotic state then he should be sectioned.”