The court of Reims, in the Marne, has decided to regularly dedicate days of correctional hearings to cases of domestic violence. The first of them took place this Monday, March 14. Report.
710 acts of domestic violence were recorded by the Reims public prosecutor’s office in 2021, a much higher figure than in 2020 (587) or even than a year earlier (652). About a third of these facts gave rise to prosecution, according to the count communicated by the prosecution.
This large number of cases and the “priority of their criminal treatment” led the court to schedule hearings dedicated to the examination of these cases every two months, as it explained at the beginning of March in a press release. The first of its kind took place this Monday, March 14. Domestic violence made up most of the audience, but not all of it.
The first file is that of a mother. The facts judged date back to March 2020, just before confinement. Mr. is accused of having assaulted his wife when he returned home drunk, holding “barely standing”, according to the elements of the file. He grabbed her upper torso before banging her head against the wall.
The children were present and had to flee to the neighbours. “Their things were always ready just in case”, says the lawyer. The bruises noted by a medical examiner on Madame’s wrist and trunk did not give rise to incapacity for work. But that’s what made her decide to run away from home for good. Because the violence did not start that day, even if it was mainly verbal so far, explains the complainant at the bar.
Leaving home is always a difficult decision to make, especially when you are a victim. This time, it is even more complicated because it falls into full containment, making it difficult even to file a complaint. Madame had to spend all this period when France was under glass in a hotel with her children. She was only able to find permanent accommodation one year after the events.
During his interview with the police, the man says he does not remember the exact day, but is adamant that he did not hit his wife. A shaky defense that he will not be able to explain further, because he is not present at the hearing and is not represented by a lawyer.
“Conviction is necessary for children”, underlines the lawyer of the victim. Those who grew up in a climate of violence must understand that it is not tolerable. In the audience, three benches are occupied by the pupils of one class, who studiously attend the hearing.
The prosecutor is requesting a six-month suspended prison sentence against the defendant as well as damages for the mother and children, a ban on contact with them and a ban on possessing a weapon. The president of the court will precisely follow these requisitions in her decision communicated at the end of the day.
The second case concerns two young people in their twenties, each of whom is both a perpetrator and a victim. The couple had a child together, who was not acknowledged by the father until his one-year-old birthday. Today, he lives only with his mother.
The facts are spread over several months in 2021. “It looks like a scene from a movie”, quips the president of the court by listing the content of the complaints. Kicks, pulled hair, scratches, bites… “You behave like in a ring”she continues.
“Yes, we shouldn’t act like that but at the moment we don’t think”, tries to explain the young woman a little later. The majority of the blows still came from the man, who denies everything. The president shows him the photos from the file. “You don’t get a cockade like that by falling”, she points. But he does not change his version.
During argument by opposing counsel, the complainant burst into tears and fidgeted on the stand. “Don’t put yourself in such a state. It’s disrespectful”, asserts the president. The young woman then speaks, she is not assisted by a lawyer. “I regret not having filed a complaint from the start”she mumbles, her voice still choked with emotion.
The prosecutor requires against the spouse a 7-month suspended prison sentence, the prohibition to come into contact with Madame or to go to her home. She also asks that he pay damages and that he follow a course of responsibility for violent spouses. For the ex-companion, she limits herself to asking that she follow the same course and that she pays damages and interests. Requests perfectly followed by the president of the court in her decision.
These two cases among many others illustrate the banality of domestic violence, which sometimes persists for years, and gradually destroys people. Files that some could qualify as minor in the face of the major criminal cases judged at the assizes. But central files for those involved, who hope to finally be able to move forward and regain their footing.
The hearing continued with records of quite different content. Alcoholic driving, contempt of an agent or consumption of narcotics. The next thematic hearing dedicated to domestic violence is scheduled for May 9 at 2 p.m.
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