Detectives in Belgium believe they have unearthed a serial killer after seizing a film he shot of himself beating his girlfriend to death.
In his small home town of Malines, north of Brussels, Renaud Hardy, an eccentric 52-year old who always carried his camera over his shoulder, went by the nickname of “Renaud Le Fou” (Renaud the Madman).
Officially caretaker of a sports hall, Hardy had been on sick leave for the past decade, spending much time taking pictures on his Canon around town. He offered to take studio shots of some women in his home and could turn aggressive when they refused.
He had a few run-ins with locals for annoying them with his drone or remote-controlled car and was banned from the local bar after turning up with a giant photo he had taken of the owner's wife without her consent.
Hardy takes a selfie with his Canon camera Photo: Facebook
In a more serious incident, this month he appeared in court on charges of shooting at a female cyclist with an air rifle.
The naked corpse of Hardy's girlfriend, Linda Doms, was found two weeks ago in her bed with numerous marks suggesting she had been bludgeoned to death.
Hardy was briefly taken in for questioning but released due to lack of proof.
However, he later confessed to murdering Ms Doms to two friends.
Police then raided his flat and found a memory card. To their horror, it contained footage of Hardy beating his girlfriend to death with a wooden stick in a clearly staged attack; he had made sure his GoPro camera was rolling beforehand in order to “review the scene”, according to Le Parisien newspaper.
Detectives are reportedly now convinced they have a serial killer on their hands. After checking his DNA with other cases, they have linked him to the death of Maria Walshaerts, an 82-year-old who lived near Hardy and was found last year with a smashed skull.
“The inquiry has allowed us to link the suspect to the murder,” said Nele Poelmans, spokesman for the local prosecutor.
His recent air gun attack led them to reopen the unexplained case of Ann Bourgoin, a 38-year old mother shot dead by a small-calibre bullet in 2006 while riding her bike in the area.
He is suspected of being behind the attempted murder of a 69-year old woman this month.
Police are also looking into whether he may have been behind the violent attack of Veerle Eyckermans, a well-known Flemish actress who played Queen Paola in a recent TV series called Albert II. She was brutally beaten with an iron bar by a stranger who broke into her home in Hofstade in February. Hardy had lived in her village for a number of years.
While he has admitted to murdering his girlfriend, Hardy denies being behind any of the other murders or attacks.
“I’m struggling to come to terms with Parkinson’s disease and I acted out of frustration,” he told police during questioning.
Along with the murder footage, police found child pornography and cocaine at his home. Detectives suspect he may have flown his drone over local gardens to hunt new victims.
