Murder trial in Arlon: Mohammed Taoussi tried for the death of his son Wassim, 3 years old
Mohammed Taoussi is appearing before the assizes court of Luxembourg in Arlon for the murder of his son Wassim, who died on 25 November 2023 in Habay-la-Vieille. The jury was sworn in on Wednesday.
Wassim's death in Habay: his father's trial opens before the Arlon assizes court
On 25 November 2023, little Wassim Taoussi, aged 3 years and 5 months, died early in the afternoon at Arlon clinic, despite resuscitation attempts by medical staff. According to DHnet, the child arrived by ambulance following an emergency call to 112 made by a neighbour of Mohammed Taoussi, the boy's father, who lived in Habay-la-Vieille. The latter had alerted his neighbour by explaining that Wassim was unconscious when he woke up and had not eaten for several days.
From the day of the death itself, a witness, an acquaintance of Mohammed Taoussi, contacted the police to express his doubts. The father was being monitored by social services, and the neighbourhood reported fits of anger. The prosecution opened an investigation initially aimed at involuntary manslaughter as well as assault and battery, with initial forensic findings suggesting acts of maltreatment.
As the investigation progressed, further testimonies were gathered. The forensic pathologist appointed by the investigating judge ultimately retained the hypothesis of murder: the death would have resulted from blows to the head, causing bleeding, combined with strangulation. Four days after Wassim's death, Mohammed Taoussi was charged with murder.
A family context marked by repeated warning signs
Mohammed Taoussi, 32 years old, originally from Morocco where he had been part of the national karate team, had been raising his son alone since the accidental death of his former partner in February 2023. He had no other family ties in Belgium.
Wassim's medical history fuelled the investigation. In April 2022, when the couple was already separated, the mother took the child to the clinic for shoulder pain caused by a stretch caused by his father. The child also presented with redness on his face and inside his ear. The father had mentioned games.
At the end of April 2023, Wassim was hospitalised again, this time for a femur fracture following a fall. Mohammed Taoussi provided several successive versions: a fall in the bathroom, a fall from a window ledge, a fall down the stairs, or having himself caused his son to fall by grabbing him by the leg to get him down from a window. Following an alert from the extended family, the Youth Assistance Service (SAJ) intervened. The father accepted the follow-up to demonstrate his parental involvement. This follow-up ended after three months.
In September 2023, two months before his death, Wassim's school reported to his father that the child presented with swelling of the eyelid and an infection at the back of the skull. A doctor found a cranial abscess linked to the swelling, the skull being partially denuded of hair. The father claimed that his son had nothing before going to school, whereas according to the doctor, the wound had already existed for several days. Mohammed Taoussi spoke of an insect bite.
Multiple lesions and insufficient food intake
The child had missed several days of school in the weeks preceding his death. Two days before the emergency call, Wassim had to be picked up by his father because he was lethargic and feverish.
After his death, an inventory of Mohammed Taoussi's flat revealed very few fresh foodstuffs, as well as numerous expired products. A witness heard during the investigation stated that the child was fed mainly on crisps, biscuits and bananas. Anaemia and the presence of a bacterium in the digestive tract had also been suspected.
The forensic pathologist found 80 lesions on the child's body. Mohammed Taoussi acknowledges having forced his son to eat or swallow medication, but denies having hit or strangled him.
The law and the defence
Mohammed Taoussi will be tried from next Monday before the assizes court of Luxembourg in Arlon. The jury was sworn in on Wednesday. The central question put to the jurors will be to determine whether Wassim died as a result of violence inflicted by his father with the intention to kill him.
"He will deny murderous intent and will explain himself during the trial," said Marc Kauten, lawyer for Mohammed Taoussi.
The accused must nevertheless answer to the charge of murder. The new penal code, which came into force on 1 September, qualifies murder in the intrafamilial sphere—such as infanticide—as an aggravating circumstance, in the same way as assassination, that is to say, murder with premeditation. These acts are now subject to life imprisonment. The old version of the penal code did not distinguish between the murder of a child and that of a third party: only parricide was subject to life imprisonment.
Source: DHnet