Lyhanna case: suspect faces multiple accusations of violence against children
An 11-year-old girl was found dead in the Gers department. The man under examination in this case had previously been the subject of at least four reports for offences of a sexual nature involving minors.
Lyhanna case: suspect faces multiple accusations of violence against children
On 4 June, an eleven-year-old child was found deceased in the Gers department. The case points to a forty-one-year-old temporary worker, Jérôme Barella, as the prime suspect. Before the tragedy that cost little Lyhanna her life, this individual had already been the target of four separate judicial proceedings for sexual assaults committed against minors. Since his indictment, three new alleged victims have filed complaints.
This case has provoked a strong reaction in public opinion and has highlighted failures in child protection mechanisms. A criminal law advocate specialising in child abuse, Maître Marie Grimaud, described the situation as an "institutional disaster", particularly within the judicial system. She deplored an unprecedented level of "bewilderment" and "resignation" among those working in the justice system.
Political leaders have responded to the emotion stirred up by this crime. The head of state felt that a tragedy should not be answered by exclamations. Minister Lecornu promised a regulatory text requiring decisions not to prosecute in cases of sexual offences against children to be justified. For his part, Interior Minister Darmanin announced the examination of more than seventy thousand files involving minors, to be completed by 14 July 2026.
Maître Grimaud nevertheless deemed these announcements insufficient, even counterproductive. According to her, the expedited examination of tens of thousands of cases risks multiplying case closures without prosecution. She also recalled that the obligation to justify decisions not to prosecute already exists in current regulations, and has been reinforced for two years.
Furthermore, a body created in 2020 to listen to victims of incest and child sexual abuse, the CIIVISE, had submitted eighty-two proposals to the government in November 2023. A year later, no official response had been received by this body.
Source: Radio France / France Culture
Source: Radio France - Justice