Lyhanna case: life imprisonment considered for serial child rapists
The head of government unveiled the findings of an inspection into the death of an 11-year-old girl in the Gers department, revealing serious shortcomings in the child protection system.
Lyhanna case: life imprisonment considered for serial child rapists
On Monday 22 June, Sébastien Lecornu commented on the results of an administrative inquiry into the death of Lyhanna, an eleven-year-old child whose body was discovered in early June in the Gers department. The document sets out major failings affecting the services responsible for child protection.
The report highlights an accumulation of malfunctions: breaches of duty, inertia, inappropriate decisions and negligence at various levels of the judiciary and the gendarmerie. These gaps had fatal consequences, stressed the Prime Minister.
The man suspected of committing the crime, Jérôme Barella, was already the subject of a complaint for sexual abuse of another ten-year-old girl, filed by her mother in August 2025. Despite this, investigators had never called him in for questioning.
In response, the executive is preparing a strengthening of child protection legislation, which will be presented shortly to the Council of Ministers. The proposals include an obligation to conduct essential investigations within three months of any complaint of sexual assault on a minor. A life sentence could also be introduced against repeat sexual predators targeting children. Furthermore, families should be informed clearly about the identity of adults supervising their children in extracurricular activities.
The head of government committed himself to meeting the relatives of the victims in the presence of members of the cabinet. He clarified that these failings could not discredit the entirety of the law enforcement or judiciary, whilst affirming that the State must accept its mistakes and draw all the conclusions, including individual ones.
Source: franceinfo
Source: France Info