The relationship lasted three years. The young woman left. And her decision earned him a flurry of 3,800 calls and text messages, not tender, in two weeks. He filed a complaint in January 2020. He will take the opportunity to report years of violence. He talks about the slaps, the punches, the kicks fueled by the insults, the death threats. A medical certificate attests to an old hematoma on his body and psychological stress.
It also evokes economic violence. His wife did not want her to work. And when she ended up imposing a small job, he confiscated her money. The couple lived on the outskirts of Richemont.
“I was his maid”
The man he accuses was first tried in July 2021. But he was absent. A priori, neither the summons nor the sentence were adequately notified to him. The accused filed an appeal, as required by law.. A retrial then took place on Tuesday before the Thionville Criminal Court.
He acknowledges a single slap and apologizes for the outpouring of malicious calls and messages. “I’m ready to pay what he asks,” he mumbles.
The victim listens, distressed, before speaking in turn. “I met him when I was 17, I wanted to leave my adoptive family,” she begins. “I was her maid. […] I left him because I was tired of being beaten, “she says. The young woman is now 23. She is the mother of a little girl. She has rebuilt her life.
His ex, in his forties, is a showman. According to him, this would justify his propensity for patriarchal authority. Enough to make the deputy prosecutor jump. The magistrate sets the record straight, confronts the accused with his contradictions. He cites his criminal record and remembers in particular that he was convicted in 2014 for violence committed on his son, even under his authority.
Flexible phrase
The defense believes that “the file does not contain tangible material” to convict his client for such a long period, for three years of violence. Me Lallement-Hurlin appeals to the judge’s caution.
However, he is found guilty. He is sentenced to eighteen months of imprisonment, including ten months, which can be modified by the judge of the execution of the sentence. The suspended sentence of eight months is subject to the ban on contact with the ex for two years. The court orders him to execute a domestic violence awareness course and orders him to forbid him to carry a weapon for five years.
Finally, the accused will have to pay 1,500 euros in damages to the victim.
