Lyhanna case: protection chain "failed" in France
An internal investigation denounces critical failings in the judicial monitoring of a suspect, ultimately suspected of killing two young girls.
Lyhanna case: protection chain "failed" in France
Internal auditors from the gendarmerie and the judiciary have compiled a damning report on the circumstances preceding the murder of Lyhanna, an eleven-year-old child. The document points to deficiencies of "extreme seriousness" in the handling of previous alerts.
The head of the French government, Sébastien Lecornu, promised that the state would not shirk its responsibilities. The ministers of the Interior and Justice have ordered further investigations and imposed sanctions: the officer in charge of the investigation has been removed from his current position, and the magistrate responsible for the case has been temporarily suspended.
The administrative inquiry establishes a connection between the death of Lyhanna and that of Rosa, aged ten years. Investigators believe that a single individual committed both murders. From summer 2025, the mother of the second victim had filed a criminal complaint against this man, accusing him of dozens of sexual assaults. This report was not classified as a priority, acknowledged Stéphane Noël, director of internal audit. The sensitive nature of the case was not flagged to the competent authorities, and the file was not forwarded to the appropriate gendarmerie service. Moreover, the level of urgency was not assessed correctly, although the person in question was already the subject of multiple accusations for acts of child sexual abuse.
The Keeper of the Seals, Gérald Darmanin, had quickly characterised the dysfunctions as "individual failings" following the discovery of Lyhanna's body. This statement had provoked outrage from the judiciary. Despite pressure for him to resign, the minister rejected any fault on the part of the executive.
Magistrates' trade union organisations responded by denouncing the overload of courts and chronic underfunding of the criminal justice system.
The Minister of the Interior, Laurent Nunez, sought to reassure by expressing his confidence in police officers and gendarmes. He assured that he would ensure that this case would not discredit the overall work accomplished by these services.
On social media, the Prime Minister wrote that the protection of citizens had "failed" due to an accumulation of "wrong decisions, inactions and negligence". He promised that each responsibility would be established and that measures would be taken at the individual level, whilst calling for the institution as a whole not to be stigmatised.
Since this tragedy, gatherings have taken place across the country to demand better support for victims of sexual and gender-based violence.
Source: SRF
Source: SRF