The Quimper criminal court tried, this Tuesday, December 17, a 42-year-old man, of Venezuelan origin, for acts of domestic violence against his ex-partner, between July and December 2024.
An intrusion through the window and recurring violence
On December 15, the police intervened at the victim’s home after an alarming call from a witness via a WhatsApp video. When they arrived, the police found the woman, crying and visibly scared. She has traces of strangulation on her neck as well as several bruises.
The victim explains that her ex-partner, refusing to accept the separation, entered her home by climbing the window. According to her testimony, he tried to snatch her phone, grabbed her by the neck and forced her to her knees. She also describes previous violence: blows to the face, strangulation attempts and physical pressure.
A defendant in denial
“It’s a lie.” The defendant strongly denied the accusations, putting forward confusing and contradictory explanations. He spoke of a “hysterical” and “jealous” victim of his daughter in Venezuela, minimized the injuries and justified his intrusion by the submission of an administrative document. “If I had really hit her, she would have suffered a lot more pain,” he declared, arousing the incomprehension of the court.
The conviction
The prosecutor underlined the seriousness of the facts and the persistent “bad faith” of the defendant. “The victim has every reason to be afraid,” she insisted, before requesting a one-year prison sentence with a two-year suspended sentence.
The court sentenced the Venezuelan to 10 months in prison with a probationary suspension of two years. In this context, he will have to follow a course on domestic violence, submit to an obligation of care and respect a ban on contact with the victim as well as appearing in Quimper, where the latter resides. The latter, visibly tested, expressed her wish that everyone “do their own life”, without asking for damages.
