Paris, July 29: A French nursing assistant today confessed to murdering EIGHT of her newborn babies because “she did not want any more children”.
Dominique Cottrez, 45, mum to two grown-up daughters, is facing life in prison for the crimes which took place over almost 20 years.
She “systematically” strangled the babies after refusing to visit a doctor for contraception and then giving birth in secret.
All of the children, who were killed between 1988 and around 2007, were wrapped up in black bin liners. Police have not ruled out finding more.
Despite completing eight pregnancies, Cottrez has insisted that her husband, Pierre-Marie Cottrez, 47, knew absolutely nothing about them.
He was originally accused of concealing the corpses, and failing to report the crimes, but the charges were later dropped because of lack of evidence.
The pair made a brief court appearance at the Palais de Justice in Douai, near Lille, northern France, first thing this morning.
Bail was refused, and Cottrez is now expected to be kept in custody until her trial sometime next year.
The grim find took place after the horrified owners of a house in the village of Villers-au-Tertre, near Lille, discovered human bones in their garden. The house had belonged to the Cottrez family.
Cops were called in and recovered the remains of “several children” — before more were discovered at a second house the couple had moved to half a mile away.
A detective revealed: “They were stuffed inside plastic bags and then buried or hidden. Our fear is that there are still more bodies to be discovered.”
Police said this morning that two dog handlers and five sniffer dogs were still working at both houses.
The village’s former mayor Daniel Collignon said: “I’m still in shock.”
Neighbours also reacted with astonishment to the news. One local man said: “They are normal people, who even have a role in the community. It’s incredible.”
Village resident Jean-Henri Martines said: “People are speechless at what has occurred.
“We all knew this couple. What has happened is unthinkable. No one knows how to react. We are in shock.”
Another neighbour in his 50s said: “These are attractive, helpful, polite and courteous people.
“They never did anything to suggest that they might be capable of abnormal behaviour.
“The husband was even elected to the town council.”
The couple have two grown-up daughters and were grandparents, another local resident said.
One teenage girl in the village said: “Their daughters are nice girls and the mother is a simple, quiet woman who wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
–Agencies