Assassination of Lyhanna, 11 years old: suspect, reported multiple times, was at large
The murder of an 11-year-old girl in the Gers provokes a wave of indignation in France. The main suspect, a father of a family already reported as a sex offender, was circulating freely despite several police reports.
Assassination of Lyhanna, 11 years old: suspect, reported multiple times, was at large
Demonstrations have erupted in several French cities following the discovery of the body of Lyhanna, an 11-year-old child who disappeared in late May in the Gers department. The case highlights police failings: the man now in custody had been reported multiple times as a sex offender without being troubled.
The girl's body was found seven days after her disappearance, on 29 May, in a disused grain silo located between two municipalities near Fleurance, a small town situated about eighty kilometres from Toulouse. Hundreds of police officers and volunteers had been mobilised for the search.
Law enforcement arrested Jérôme Barella, 41 years old and father of a classmate of the victim, three days after the alert. This man had reportedly been reported several times in the past for sexual offences, but he had not been placed in detention.
On Monday, more than sixty thousand people took part in gatherings across the country. The protestors are demanding the resignation of Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin, who headed the Interior Ministry for four years and therefore oversaw the police.
Lyhanna's family filed a complaint against the State. According to those close to her, stronger intervention by the authorities would have made it possible to avoid the tragedy.
This case is part of a context of national tension around violence against children. Several scandals involving school staff have come to light in recent months in France, fuelling public emotion.
Source: Denník N
Source: Google News SK — Crime (sk)