Murder of Lyhanna, 11, suspect had already been reported for sexual assault on minors
The murder of an eleven-year-old girl in south-west France has exposed serious failings in the judicial system. The main suspect, a 41-year-old man previously reported for child sexual abuse offences, was never questioned by investigators.
Murder of Lyhanna, 11, suspect had already been reported for sexual assault on minors
The body of Lyhanna, an eleven-year-old child, was discovered on 27 May on a farm several kilometres from Fleurance, in south-west France. The investigation quickly converged on Jérôme Barella, a forty-one-year-old man and father of one of the victim's friends, who was remanded in custody and admitted to having taken the girl by car to a local body of water.
What makes the case particularly disturbing is that Barella was not unknown to police. According to information from the daily newspaper Le Monde, the man had already been reported multiple times for acts of a sexual nature involving children.
In August of the previous year, the mother of a ten-year-old girl named Rosa filed a complaint, claiming that Barella had sexually abused her daughter on several occasions. Medical examinations corroborated these accusations. Yet for nine months, investigators never summoned the individual for questioning. The victim's mother, who telephoned the police every Monday to obtain updates on the investigation, was systematically met with formal responses stating that the procedure was ongoing. Eventually, an official allegedly threatened her with legal proceedings for harassment if she persisted in contacting them.
The British media outlets BBC and The Guardian report that Barella's name also appeared in other files concerning sexual offences against minors over recent years. These antecedents should have given priority to Rosa's case, which was not done.
Barella worked as a cleaner in several schools. He had been dismissed from one of them for behaviour deemed inappropriate towards a pupil on the internet. Lyhanna had gone missing on 20 May. Seven days later, her lifeless body was found.
The case provoked a wave of anger across France. Protests broke out in several cities, and voices are calling for the resignation of Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin. Public opinion considers that if law enforcement had at least contacted the suspect, he would have known he was being monitored, which could have prevented the tragedy.
The country is facing a marked increase in reports of sexual violence against minors. In recent months, a vast case of systematic abuse in public educational institutions, notably in Paris, has also emerged. The investigation covers at least eighty-four nursery schools, around twenty primary schools and ten crèches or leisure centres. The accusations target coordinators recruited by the municipality, often without thorough vetting, who supervised children from the age of three outside school hours.
Lyhanna's funeral took place on Friday in the strictest family privacy, in accordance with her loved ones' wishes.
Source: Google News SK — Crime (sk)