Geneva: 19 years' prison for involuntary manslaughter following fatal sexual violence
Geneva's Criminal Court has sentenced a man to 19 years' imprisonment for involuntary manslaughter. The theory of premeditated murder was dismissed.
Geneva verdict: 19 years for man convicted of involuntary manslaughter
Geneva's Criminal Court has sentenced a defendant, using the assumed name Ousmane, to 19 years' imprisonment for involuntary manslaughter, according to a case report published by Le Temps. The court thus dismissed both opposing theories presented during the trial.
The Public Prosecutor's Office argued for calculated homicide, committed through deliberately devastating sexual violence. The defence, for its part, contested any involvement of the defendant in the massive haemorrhage suffered by his partner, pleading accident in the most unfavourable scenario. Neither of these interpretations convinced the court.
For the judges, the elements of the case establish that Ousmane was indeed the perpetrator of the fatal injuries suffered by the victim. However, nothing demonstrates that he had the intention to kill from the outset.
The verdict nevertheless notes that the defendant exerted considerable force to satisfy his extreme sexual inclinations, to the point of causing the victim's pelvis to rupture. In acting with such violence, despite the resistance and screams of the victim, he could not ignore the fatal risk that his behaviour posed. The court concluded that he had accepted this risk, which characterises involuntary manslaughter under Swiss law.
The 19-year prison sentence reflects this intermediate legal qualification, more serious than involuntary manslaughter but distinct from premeditated murder.
Source: Le Temps