Joran van der Sloot

Joran van der Sloot, Joran van der Sloot, the Dutch man accused of bludgeoning and strangling to death a young Peruvian woman and the principal suspect in the disappearance of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway, is believed to have got his girlfriend pregnant - while behind bars.

Van der Sloot - son of a wealthy Dutch judge - is currently being held at Miguel Castro Castro Jail in Peru where he awaits the murder trial for the death and robbery of Stephany Flores in June 2010.

It is believed that his girlfriend - who has not been identified - has been visiting the 23-year-old frequently for conjugal visits at the jail, going to his cell to do 'chores' and bringing him candy.

According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, van der Sloot uses the candy to run a 'lucrative' snack bar from his cell.

It is also believed that the girl worked at the casino which Stefany Flores was in the night van der Sloot allegedly murdered her by strangling and suffocating her.

He has admitted to the murder but has pleaded 'violent emotion' - which is typically used in Peru for crimes of passion.

The victim’s father, Ricardo Flores, saw van der Sloot at a recent court hearing and said he expected to see a 'miserable person' but instead was was shocked to see a 'fatso'.

He has asked jail officials to investigate the conjugal visits.

It recently emerged that the 23-year-old was so desperate for money he allegedly told a friend he was going to work on the streets.

The National Enquirer said van der Sloot made the claims in a 44-minute exchange of emails between himself and a friend.

He told the friend he had unsuccessfully asked his wealthy family for a lend of money but they refused because they thought he would spend it on gambling.

Van der Sloot could spend just 20 months in jail if a judge accepts his defence of 'violent emotion', entered in March.

He is currently accused of first-degree murder, and faces a 15- to 35-year sentence if his plea is not accepted.

Van der Sloot signed a confession last year where he described slamming Miss Flores in the face with his right elbow, strangling her for a full minute then taking off his shirt and asphyxiating her.

He has said that it was Miss Flores that attacked him first.

He has several times confessed then recanted a role in the disappearance of Miss Holloway, an 18-year-old Alabama student who was visiting Aruba in 2005 on a high school graduation trip with classmates when she vanished.

Her body has never been found, and Van der Sloot, who she met on the island, was the last person to be seen with her.

Miss Holloway's mother, Beth Twitty, has been desperate to find information on her daughter's disappearance, and was given fresh hope last year when FBI agents travelled to Peru to examine van der Sloot's laptop.

But hiss attempt to plead 'violent emotion' in March angered Ms Twitty. At the time her lawyer, John Kelly, said she called Van der Sloot’s plea plan 'outrageous'.

She said she knows that the Flores family will never accept it and will ‘make whatever noise she has to’ to make sure it doesn't happen.

Whatever decision is ultimately made by the Peruvian court hearing the case, Van der Sloot still faces prosecution in the U.S. on wire fraud and extortion charges.

He was recently indicted by an Alabama grand jury for allegedly trying to extort $250,000 from Mrs Twitty in exchange for information on where she could find her daughter's body.

According to court papers, Van der Sloot received a total of $25,000 a few weeks before Miss Flores' death – which it is believed he used to travel to Peru.

The Dutch and Peruvian governments have recently signed an extradition treaty which allows a prisoner exchange pact that could allow Joran to serve out his time in Holland.

But his case received another set back on May 31 after his defence lawyer quit after he received death threats and fell out with his client over something in the case.

Last year Mrs Twitty sneaked into the Peruvian jail with a hidden microphone to confront van der Sloot face to face over her daughter's disappearance.

At the time she said: ' I wanted to see him, I wanted to get face to face with him. I wanted to peel the skin off his face. I'm thinking this is it, this is my one chance and I'll never get this chance again.'

But the meeting did little to give her the answers she craved. After four minutes of silence he spoke only briefly, saying: 'I hope you can understand it's very hard for me to talk to you. It's really not easy, I'm really doing my best.

I know you have a very good heart, I know that for a fact. It is the least I owe you for sure. I've made so many bad decisions and all for the wrong reasons.'

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