A closed-door hearing was imposed on Friday 20 September in the case of a grandfather tried in Bourg-en-Bresse (Ain) for incest, in particular against his granddaughter, who had reported the incident thanks to a Papillons letterbox installed in her school.
This closed-door session is a disappointment for the civil parties. The granddaughter of the accused, tried for rape and sexual assault, who is now 13 years old, collapsed when the decision was announced; as did her two cousins, one of whom is already an adult, who are also victims of this case tried on Friday and Monday.
“We have been fighting for two years to ensure that everything is said, so that nothing is hidden from the people”the young woman’s stepfather, who broke his silence in June 2022, lamented to Agence France-Presse (AFP). “This is a first victory for the accused”he added bitterly.
However, at the beginning of the hearing, the lawyers for the civil parties argued that the debates should remain public, ” need “ for young girls “give one’s word”according to Séverine Debourg, a lawyer for the family of the two cousins.
But given the reluctance of the prosecutor and the defense, concerned about the recent media stir surrounding the case and fearing a “second hearing outside this room”According to the defendant’s lawyer, Marie Audineau, the court chose to impose a closed session. For its president, Antoine Molinar-Min, it is “necessary to ensure the protection of these minors, even against themselves”.
“She felt free at that moment”
This case was particularly publicized because of the nature of the channel used by the granddaughter to report what her grandfather had been doing to her for two years.
She was 10 years old when a mailbox was installed in her primary school in Vonnas (Ain) by the association Les Papillons, whose aim is to free the voices of children who are victims of violence.
That same day, the girl decided to take the step and put an unequivocal note in the mailbox. “He touched my bottom and my top and he also put his bottom in my bottom and I tried to take it off but he didn’t want to. [sic] »the child writes, according to the text that AFP was able to consult.
“It was too heavy to bear, I was in a lot of pain”explained Stéphanie Garcia, a lawyer for the granddaughter’s family. In the family context, “His word was blocked”but “She felt free at that moment”he clarified.
Up to twenty years of criminal imprisonment
The association’s psychologists, who were in charge of examining the children’s statements, quickly submitted a report to the prosecutor. The investigation revealed that the incident occurred at the boy’s grandparents’ house when the grandmother was away.
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Another civil party in the process, the latter has always maintained that she never knew anything about the actions of her husband, whom she described as “monster”according to his lawyer, Clémence Guérin.
In police custody, the grandfather, now 73, admitted touching his granddaughter but denies raping her. He is also on trial for sexually assaulting the two cousins. He faces up to 20 years in prison.
According to the latest report by the Independent Commission on Incest and Sexual Violence against Children, 160,000 children are victims of sexual violence each year in France.
This test is a great victory for the association Les Papillons, which has 350 mailboxes in France, from primary schools to secondary schools. “proof that children expect a helping hand”according to its president, Laurent Boyet.
