This Monday, November 4, the trial opened for immediate appearance of the man who attacked an educator with a knife last September in Valdahon (Doubs). At the end of a confusing hearing before the Besançon criminal court, the defendant did not fully explain his actions. The file was referred to the assizes.
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The events took place on September 4, 2024 at the Valdahon service center. Mohamedy K. born in 1996, makes an appointment at the Valdahon Services Center with Cédric C, educator at the “Entrusted Children Center” in Pontarlier, a structure in the Doubs department. The social worker was not in charge of this family, but had already met them during publicized visiting rights.
The man received is of Malian nationality and has lived in the town for several years. He is the father of four children, aged “from 4 to 8 years old“, according to the accused. During the meeting, the situation degenerated, the individual took out a knife and stabbed the 43-year-old specialized educator in the chest, on the left side “The knife penetrated sufficiently to perforate the base of the victim’s lung, who received 10 days of ITT”stated the public prosecutor Etienne Manteaux at the time of the events. The attacker is put to flight by a colleague, before being caught by the gendarmerie.
The attacker was remanded in custody until the day of his trial, this Monday, November 4. He is being prosecuted for “intentional violence with weapons and against a person entrusted with a public service mission“.
Questioned by the court, the defendant gave a disjointed speech and was particularly agitated at the start of the hearing. “I didn't want to kill him, I wanted to see him man to man“, says Mohamedy K. The source of the defendant's resentment against the victim dates back to 2022. More precisely, during a publicized visit supervised by the social worker between the defendant and his children. The exact date could not be determined during the hearing.
“He spoke badly to me in front of my son. They took away all my visits, he himself planned everything“, declares Mohamedy K. This “word too many” led to several years of anger from the accused against the educator. A resentment that the social worker does not understand, “Maybe I was able to speak to him informally, I didn't touch his integrity, maybe I had a way of doing things that didn't please him. I have nothing to do with Mohamedy's situation K.”, explains Cédric C.
In court, the defendant seems to have difficulty understanding the child placement system and blames the educator. On several occasions, he accuses her of lying, sometimes cutting off the president of the hearing.
On September 4, 2024 around 9 a.m., the defendant asked, during an interview with his social worker, to meet Cédric C. A request which surprised the social worker, the two men had not seen each other for several years.
Contacted, the educator agreed to meet him, but in the presence of his superior. “The idea was to defuse, we were all extremely questioning about this approach“, specifies the latter.
On September 4, the attacker was observed at 11 a.m. in front of the services center, three hours before the meeting. After only a few minutes of the interview, Mohamedy K. pulls out a knife with an 11-centimeter blade and hits Cédric C. The latter manages to block his attacker's arm to avoid further injury.
“OWe didn't talk for long, I said, don't touch my children, I got angry. I didn't want to strike, I didn't even have the strength, I hadn't slept for a weeke” defends the accused. However, the victim suffered a cracked rib during the attack, a sign of the force deployed by the attacker.
For the superior present at the time of the incident, there is no doubt that his colleague Cédric was the only target of the attacker. “He didn't even look at me, during the attack, he didn't turn towards me“, he explains.
The discernment of the alleged attacker was not considered to be impaired by the psychiatric assessments. Even though the attacker had been prescribed medication before the incident. The man had been followed since April 2024 by a psychiatrist. The defendant was not clear whether he continued to take his medication or not.
At the end of the hearing, the case was referred to the court. The court considering that the facts fall within the scope of a criminal court for premeditated murder. A decision welcomed by the lawyer for the civil parties.
Intentionality”there is no doubt and so is premeditation. This person who goes to get a knife that hides it and who tries to strike several times“, specifies Maître Sylvia Serri, lawyer for the civil parties.
The two social workers, whom the lawyer defends, are still traumatized by the attack. Cédric C. is still on morphine after the knife attack. His colleague has not returned to his professional activity since the attack.
Valdahon stabbing attacker remains behind bars until trial day. The public prosecutor should open a judicial investigation soon.
