Fourniret's elder brother, André gave the impression of being an honest man, very intelligent and not in the least like his sibling, who appeared even more insignificant, stuck behind his glass screen, obstinately mute.

André prefers to be known as Fournier nowadays but that doesn't mean he wants to deny his relationship with his brother. However, he admitted to being pulled in opposite directions, not wanting to to attack a close relative but not being able to defend a murderer and paedophile.

He wanted to tell the families of the victims, face to face, that his sympathy for them was stronger than his blood ties.

Fot the last five years he had been trying to understamd the dual personality that made up his brother: the 'good Michel', kind and hardworking and the 'bad', an assassin he could only condemn.

He demystified Michel's pretensions of being ultra clever - some sort of super being - with the words:

"Son intelligence est surfaite. Il a une bonne memoire. C'est un pseudo-intellectual, megalomane, excellente manuel, mais sans competence administrative ou commerciale."

"His intelligence is over-rated. He has a good memory. He is a pseudo-intellectual, megalomaniac, excellent with his hands but has no administrative or business sense."

He went on to dismiss claims of incest between Michel and their mother or sexual abuse of their sister by Michel, as sheer fantasy. He described their parents as a well balanced couple.

When asked about the humiliation claimed by his brother, André explained that he had a complex about his small stature, but this wasn't enough to turn him into a killer.

His theory as to why Michel refuses to speak at his trial is this: 'he is made up of two personalities, like a werewolf. Inside his head he is a martyr and the tragic loss of two of his own children reinforces this. According to this persona he has done nothing wrong but when both sides of his personality come together and he tries to reconcile black and white he could kill himself.'

"Do you think he would have spoken 'in camera?'" asked one of the mothers.

"He would have spoken but he wouldn't have said anything" was the response.

When asked at what point his brother changed, André was convinced it was when he met Monique.

'He needed an audience, an accomplice, an alibi, material assistance and someone with a passive nature so that he could show himself as all-powerful.'

Then it was the turn of Dominique Catoire to take the stand: the daughter of his late employer, Georges Catoire - a man  he idolised.

He showed not the slightest emotion during the descriptions of rapes and murders of his young, innocent victims but bringing up his past when he worked for Georges Catoire was enough to crack the hard shell he had so meticulously built up during his trial.

Dominique reminded him that her father had taught him love and respect and that he would be ashamed of him. Fourniret cracked and shed a tear.

The lawyers tried to press home the advantage but Fourniret would not respond. He quickly put up his wall of silence to hide behind. His ultimate protection.