The first signs of the scandal date back to 1992 when Louis Dupont, the parish priest of Kinkempois, a quarter of the city of Liège, was sentenced to five years in prison for the statutory rape of a 14-year-old girl. In a move from tradition, Dupont was allowed to serve his time under ecclesiastical supervision in a monastery, while his two male accomplices served much longer terms in state prison. The trial took place in a courtroom closed to the public.