Murder of Lyhanna, 11: suspect remained free despite repeated reports
In France, protests erupted following the murder of an 11-year-old girl. The suspect, a 41-year-old father, had been reported to police multiple times for sexual offences.
Murder of Lyhanna, 11: suspect remained free despite repeated reports
The murder of an 11-year-old child sparked a wave of anger across France. Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in several cities to denounce violence against children and demand accountability from the authorities.
Lyhanna disappeared on 29 May near Fleurance, a small municipality of some 6,000 inhabitants situated approximately eighty kilometres from Toulouse. For several days, hundreds of police officers and volunteers took part in the search. Her body was found a week later in a disused grain silo, between two villages in the Gers department.
Law enforcement arrested Jérôme Barella, a 41-year-old man and father of a classmate of the victim, three days after her disappearance. The man had already been reported to police on several occasions for deviant sexual behaviour, but he had not been held in detention.
The girl's family has filed a complaint against the State. They believe that if the police services had responded more firmly, Lyhanna would still be alive. Demonstrators are also demanding the resignation of Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin, who headed the Interior Ministry for four years and therefore oversaw law enforcement.
This tragedy comes in a context where France is shaken by multiple cases of violence against children, involving in particular staff working in schools and nurseries. The gatherings brought together more than 60,000 participants on Monday across the country.
Source: Denník N