Death of Wassim (3 years old) in Habay: 84 injuries and signs of strangulation revealed at trial
The Luxembourg assize court is trying Mohammed Taoussi, accused of murdering his 3-year-old son. A key witness and the forensic pathologist delivered damning testimonies.
A call to 101 and 84 injuries: the Wassim trial yields its first testimonies
It was a telephone call made to 101 on 25 November 2023 at 17:14 that set the entire judicial procedure in motion. According to lavenir.net, without this step taken by a friend of Wassim's mother—who died in a car accident in February 2023—the death of the 3-year-old and 5-month-old boy at the Arlon clinic might never have been followed up with criminal proceedings.
This witness, who was eagerly awaited at the bar on Tuesday afternoon, appeared before the Luxembourg assize court in the trial of Mohammed Taoussi, Wassim's father, accused of murdering his own son.
"He told me he would bury him in a wood"
The man explained that he had hesitated for several hours before contacting the police. "I held back for a few hours because I did not want to accuse someone wrongly," he told the court. His decision proved decisive nonetheless: he had already heard Mohammed Taoussi make worrying remarks about his son.
"I had already heard Mohammed say that if Wassim was not speaking by age 5—a potential autism was suspected—he would take him to the woods and bury him," the witness reported. When he learned that the child had been taken to hospital, he immediately went to the emergency department. He also indicated that Mohammed Taoussi had suggested he might commit suicide.
The accused strongly contested these statements from the dock. "I am shocked, he says this about me because I did not want him to come to my house anymore, I threw him out because he was drunk," Taoussi said, adding that it was he who "lost his son".
Neighbours and family: suspicions that went back a long time
Other witnesses heard on Tuesday painted a concerning picture of the accused's behaviour towards his son. A neighbour recounted having once seen Taoussi hit Wassim on the head. "Wassim started crying. Mohammed gave him a packet of crisps, he did not care," he testified.
The uncle of Wassim's mother stated that "Mohammed wanted to train his child". Within the maternal family itself, concerns had existed for some time. Wassim's maternal grandmother had in fact alerted social services. The maternal aunt, for her part, confided: "Even when my sister was still alive, when I changed Wassim, I would notice bruises here and there but I kept quiet about it."
A paediatric nurse who had already known the accused and his son due to a previous clinic stay recounted her exchanges with Taoussi on the day of the incident. "Everyone was already well occupied when I arrived at the emergency department. The man told me: 'You know that I take good care of Wassim,'" she reported—at a moment when suspicions of abuse had not yet been raised.
84 injuries, head trauma and signs of strangulation
The forensic medical examination constitutes the central element of the case. The initial paramedics, focused on resuscitating the child, had not immediately investigated the causes of his condition. It was the telephone call to 101 that led to the mandate entrusted to Dr Maxence Berrendorf, forensic pathologist.
A post-mortem scan and a thorough examination revealed injuries and traces that had not been detected initially. "The bruises on the body were not consistent with natural death," Dr Berrendorf told the court. The expert found "significant trauma", intracranial bleeding and signs of strangulation. In total, 84 injuries were counted on the body of young Wassim.
According to Dr Berrendorf, these injuries resulted from "elements of significant violence occurring less than 48 hours before death". The intracranial trauma from blows or counter-blows would have occurred a maximum of 12 hours before death, which was observed on 25 November 2023 shortly after 14:00.
The accused's explanations deemed partially compatible
Mohammed Taoussi claims to have found his son unconscious on the morning of the tragedy and to have seized him by the jaw. He also says he forced Wassim to open his mouth to administer medicine to him. The forensic pathologist acknowledged that certain injuries could be compatible with these versions, but expressed significant reservations.
"These explanations are compatible with the injuries but not with all of them," Dr Berrendorf estimated. Regarding the seizing of the jaw, he clarified: "Injuries can be compatible with these explanations, but one can wonder why with such violence." The expert also ruled out that the injuries could be attributable to resuscitation attempts carried out by the emergency services.
The signs of strangulation, on the other hand, remain unexplained by the accused. When asked by Me Hélène Michel, counsel for the civil parties, whether it was possible that Wassim could have inflicted wounds on himself, Dr Berrendorf was categorical: "Impossible for a child given the force required."
The trial of Mohammed Taoussi, tried for the murder of his son, continues before the Luxembourg assize court in Arlon.
Source: 7sur7 Faits Divers