Lyhanna case: French judicial failures reminiscent of Belgian failures
The death of an 11-year-old child in the Gers department highlights the gaps in a judicial apparatus that had already been alerted. The main suspect was under investigation for sexual assault without having been questioned.
Lyhanna case: French judicial failures reminiscent of Belgian failures
The fatal disappearance of an 11-year-old girl in south-west France has triggered a political storm and deep emotion across the border. The tragedy of Lyhanna, found dead in the Gers department, reveals structural deficiencies in the functioning of French justice.
The indignation focuses on one specific element: the police services and the public prosecutor's office already had information concerning Jérôme B. Complaints had been filed. A case involving sexual assault on a 12-year-old minor was actively under investigation at the time of the events. The victim's mother was contacting the public prosecutor's office daily for news. In response to her repeated approaches, she was threatened with a report for harassment. Meanwhile, the man who became the main suspect had never been summoned for questioning.
This situation irresistibly brings to mind, on the Belgian side, a dark chapter in the country's judicial history. Marc Dutroux was tried and convicted in 1989 for crimes of the same nature. He subsequently obtained early release in 1992. This leniency had fatal consequences for Julie, Mélissa, An and Eefje.
Thirty years have elapsed since. The wound is not closed for Belgians. Yet the lesson proves difficult to hear beyond the borders, in a nation where other scandals involving minors have recently emerged.
There is no shortage of warnings. What is lacking is the capacity to respond with the speed that these situations demand, whilst respecting the rights of the defence.
In the kingdom, civic mobilisation brought together 300,000 demonstrators dressed in white. France did not experience such a uprising, but the mechanism is identical: support for the bereaved family, and a fierce determination to prevent other free predators from killing other children.
Source: DHNET
Source: DHnet