Digne trial: life sentence sought against Guillaume Bucci for seven years of torment
The chief public prosecutor has sought a life sentence against Guillaume Bucci, tried for torture, rape and pimping of his former partner Laetitia.
Life sentence requested against the accused in the Digne-les-Bains trial
The chief public prosecutor sought on Friday 22 May a life sentence against Guillaume Bucci before the assizes court of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, in Digne-les-Bains. According to France Info, the prosecution justified this request for the maximum sentence by the exceptionally serious nature of the charges.
Guillaume Bucci is being prosecuted for pimping of a vulnerable person, acts of torture and barbarism against a spouse, and aggravated rape involving torture and barbarism against his former partner, Laetitia. The trial began on Monday before the assizes court.
Facts qualified as "the gravest offences in the Penal Code"
"We are dealing with the most serious offences that exist in the Penal Code," declared the chief public prosecutor at the bar. "What Guillaume Bucci is accused of is having infringed upon human dignity," she added.
The question of consent ran through the entirety of the proceedings, recalling in certain respects the Pélicot trial. The public prosecution took care to clarify: French law does not permit consent to acts of torture and barbarism, regardless of the circumstances invoked.
Seven years of abuse between 2015 and 2022
Laetitia, 42, described to the court seven years of complete submission, from 2015 to 2022. Guillaume Bucci allegedly reduced her to the rank of an object, forcing her into prostitution, compelling her to perform extreme sexual acts and to ingest his urine daily, all under the guise of a sadomasochistic relationship.
The consequences are today permanent. Laetitia has a disability rating of between 50 and 80 per cent, and describes herself a "psychological control" from which she has not escaped.
The victim's defence seeks full and complete recognition
Maître Honegger, Laetitia's solicitor, expressed his expectations for the verdict: "Our aim is that he be convicted. That she, her children and her family be recognised as victims and that the reality of what she suffered throughout all these years be taken into account."
He also referred to the conclusions of the experts: "We were able to see what the experts said about perverse personalities, about sadistic personalities, and we were indeed able to see the severe consequences that such acts can have on people."
Public support and verdict expected Saturday
Upon leaving the courthouse, Laetitia and her children were applauded at length by those present. Since the trial began on Monday, the feminist collective "8 mars toute l'année" has offered them their support.
The verdict is expected Saturday afternoon.
Source: France Info