Sexually abused when they were children, they obtain justice 30 years later in Rouen

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20 years of silence then 10 years of procedure. This is what three women endured to finally succeed, this Tuesday, December 17, 2024, in having the person who sexually abused them when they were children.

Abused from the age of 4

It was in November 2014 that A. decided to take the step of filing a complaint with the gendarmerie against Maurice*. Him, he was his nurse’s companionthe domestic worker who lived below the family apartment in Paris. He is also the one she accuses of regularly sitting on the armrest of the chair in the nanny’s small studio, who touched her in her panties then made her feel his fingers. She was 4 years old.

She also accuses him of having forced oral sex on her, in the garage of a second home in Saint-Pierre-lès-Elbeuf, when she was only 8 years old.

It was still in Saint-Pierre-lès-Elbeuf that D., then aged 11, claimed to have been a victim of Maurice, who took care of the children. He tried to kiss her on the mouth, to put his hand in her panties. But the little girl foughtrefusing to follow him into an isolated room. Rebelote the following holidays. The complaint did not come until 27 years later.

A third victim, P., was identified during the investigation. “When we mention the name of the defendant, she cries and describes the touching she suffered when she was 10 years old,” describes the president of the court.

An omerta around attacks

United over the attacks suffered, the three now women are also united by the silence which surrounded these abuses. According to the president, on the side of A., who spoke about the facts as a child, “his mother asked him to forget”. P., who was from the nanny’s family, spoke about it too. But without follow-up. “Basically, everyone was suspicious [du prévenu]but no one denounced,” summarizes the president of the court.

Photos of little girls taken at the campsite, surveillance set up around Mauritius… So many elements which show the silence in place were mentioned during the hearing. The astonishment also of the nanny, who at first did not believe it, ended up leaving her companion at the end of his second custody.

Maurice initially denied him. “You said that these women had ganged up against you,” recalls the president. But the man who is now 74 years old ended up recognizing part of the facts without being able to explain his actions. 30 years later, he still can’t do it.

“This act of fellatio [que la Cour d’appel n’a pas qualifié en viol lors de la procédure, d’où une audience en correctionnelle et pas aux assises, NDLR]that’s what struck me the most. I had sensations of it in the palate until adulthood,” describes A.

The least he could do would be to acknowledge the facts in full.

Which Maurice will not do.

D. is also marked by the one who was the first but not the only man to have abused her. “I have the memory of this mustache, this tongue… My construction was complicated, I separated from my partner. »

And to mention “the difficulty of filing a complaint, of seeing that then, we are not accompanied. I regret that there are so few of us who have the strength to go all the way, but it’s not easy to succeed.”

A sentence under an electronic bracelet

So 10 years after the first complaint, justice is speaking out. The lawyers of the civil parties assure him bluntly, “the gentleman is a pedophile, a predator”, “with perverse behavior” and fear potential other victims. And also to support the statements which never changed on the victims’ side, unlike those of the defendant.

The prosecutor supports: “You have women in front of you, but we are talking about little girls.” Ensuring that all the alleged facts are well characterized, he requires five years in prison, two of which are suspended.

The task is not easy for Maurice’s lawyer given “his great difficulty in speaking out about the facts, explaining them and talking about the consequences for the victims”. For her, a suspended sentence “would make more sense” only a firm sentence.

Maurice is found guilty** of the alleged acts. He receives a sentence of five years in prison, three of which are suspended. The firm part will be executed under electronic bracelet. He has an obligation to treat himself and compensate the victims. He is prohibited from coming into contact with the victims and from carrying out any activity in contact with minors. He will also be registered with the Fijais (automated judicial file for perpetrators of sexual offenses).

For the victims, despite the timid apologies, the fight is over, or almost. HAS. created an association to free the voices of victims of child molesters.

If you witness violence against minors or if you yourself are a victim, it is possible to contact “Allô Enfance en danger” on 119 or 0800 05 41 41, available 24 hours a day. Adults, adolescents and children can call this number for free. For more information, a website is also available: http://www.allo119.gouv.fr/

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*The first name has been changed.

**This sentence is subject to appeal. All litigants remain presumed innocent until all avenues of appeal have been exhausted.

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