Lyhanna case: fresh complaint of child corruption filed against Jérôme Barella
A new complaint has been filed against Jérôme Barella, the main suspect in the Lyhanna case, for the corruption of a 13-year-old girl.
New complaint against Barella, already facing six reports of assaults on minors
According to Radio France - Justice, Jérôme Barella, the main suspect in the Lyhanna case — a young girl who was raped and left for dead in the Gers — was named in a new complaint on Thursday, 3 September 2026, for child corruption. The complaint was filed by the family of a girl who was 13 years old at the time of the alleged offences. The man is already the subject of six complaints and two reports concerning rapes or sexual assault on minors under 15 years of age.
Between February and summer 2025, Barella is suspected of sending dozens of messages to the young girl, known as Lise (an assumed name). The man in his forties and the teenager had met at a taekwondo club — the same club where he is suspected of repeatedly raping another minor.
Lise initially responded to the messages, keeping her exchanges hidden from her parents. Barella allegedly asked her for "a nice photo with a beautiful smile"; the child complied. He allegedly also proposed taking her to the swimming pool or invited her to a sleepover at his house with his daughter, who was the same age. It is during these sleepovers that Barella is suspected of sexually assaulting another minor.
Lise eventually stopped responding and blocked him. It was after Barella's arrest for the murder of Lyhanna that her family decided to file a complaint.
Radio France - Justice notes that in the wake of the Lyhanna case, investigations concerning other alleged victims of rapes and sexual assaults are accelerating. Jérôme Barella had been arrested and placed under formal investigation before this new complaint was filed.
Source: Radio France - Justice