Lyhanna case: additional complaint for indecent assault against main suspect
A 12-year-old girl accuses Jérôme Barella of indecent assault. An alert from the child protection agency should have alerted the judiciary in March but never reached the Auch prosecutor's office.
Lyhanna case: additional complaint for indecent assault against main suspect
Legal troubles are mounting for Jérôme Barella. The 41-year-old, already detained as part of the investigation into the death of young Lyhanna, is now the subject of a new proceeding for sexual offences against a twelve-year-old child.
The adolescent, named Léa, was interviewed for two hours by the gendarmerie on Monday. She accuses the suspect of indecent assault committed during nights spent at his daughter's home during the summer of 2025. According to her legal adviser Myriam Guedj Benayoun, these acts took place over a three-month period. The minor subsequently stopped visiting her friends, making excuses to avoid what she now perceived as a dangerous household.
This case also reveals a failure in the child protection system. As early as 12 March, well before Lyhanna's abduction in Fleurance, professionals from the child welfare service in Tarn-et-Garonne had sent an alert to the Auch court. This letter, which was intended for the magistrates, was never received.
Clémence Meyer, magistrate heading the Auch prosecutor's office, confirmed to franceinfo that there was no trace whatsoever of this document in the court's archives. She mentioned a possible technical problem, without being able to determine whether the failure came from the sender or the recipient. It was ultimately at her express request, after the media coverage of the case, that the child welfare service resent the initial report to her.
The father of the young victim had also contacted the gendarmerie some two weeks ago, reporting the administrative silence surrounding this March alert.
In parallel, Barella is under investigation for rape following a complaint filed in August 2025 by the mother of Rosa, a ten-year-old girl. He is due to appear shortly before the investigating judge who is considering putting him on trial for Lyhanna's murder.
Source: franceinfo
Source: France Info