The woman was severely beaten to death on the night of December 31 to January 1. The man himself called the emergency services indicating that he “had killed his wife”. He was indicted for intentional homicide.
The husband of the woman fatally beaten on New Year's Eve in the North was indicted for intentional homicide by a spouse and placed in pre-trial detention on Thursday January 2, the Valenciennes prosecutor's office said on Friday.
The body of the victim, aged 52, was found on Wednesday by firefighters at the family home in Hautmont (North) after the “call from a man who, on the spot, indicated that he had killed his wife”, underlined the prosecutor's office in a press release. She had “received several blows all over her body”.
Her husband, aged 49, was “arrested on the spot without incident” and “had no criminal record”, according to the prosecution.
The police went to the home
On December 6, he “filed a complaint with the Maubeuge police station, indicating that he suspected his wife of adultery,” the press release continued. A few days later, on December 11, the suspect “expressed the desire to end his life” and the police went to the couple’s home.
“We never question the victim's past, that's not what matters to us,” insisted Friday on France Inter the Minister responsible for Gender Equality, Aurore Bergé, in reaction to the mention of this alleged adultery.
On this occasion, she reaffirmed that she would go there, “at the request of the mayor of Hautmont, to understand, to listen and above all, above all, to act”. The victim had two children with her husband, who are adults, according to the prosecution.
In 2023, 96 women were victims of marital femicide in France, a figure down 19% compared to 2022, according to the latest report from the Ministry of the Interior published at the end of November.
The Northern Federation of the Communist Party called in a press release to “act collectively so that such tragedies stop”, while the national secretary of the PCF Fabien Roussel deplored on X that “governments follow one another without responding to this scourge”.
3919
3919 is the national helpline number for women victims of violence. Free, anonymous and accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, it directs women towards associations and structures able to provide them with support.
