“My mother threatened me so that I would undress”, testifies the 11-year-old victim before the Aude criminal court

In the afternoon of the first day of hearing, Monday November 25, the criminal court discovered Emma* coming to attend the proceedings. A smiling little girl aged 11, plunged back into her painful past six years earlier. In 2018, when she was only 4 years old, Emma was allegedly the victim of “rape and sexual assault but also corruption of minors under 15 years old”by his mother's ex-partner, Bruno C. with her complicity.

We didn't know if Emma was going to take the stand. She finally asked her lawyer if she could speak. This Tuesday, November 26, synonymous with the second day of hearing, with her words, she took the floor. “I remember some things but not everything”she confides to the judges, almost sorry not to remember. “It’s normal that you don’t remember.”underlines the president of the court, Eric Emmanuelidis with a reassuring air.

“They did things that bother me a lot to my private parts”

Marked by silences, Emma's words free up a little, painful memories resurface. “I remember when my mother asked me to undress, when we went to Bruno’s, but I don’t really remember when he came to our house”she explains, accompanied by her lawyer.

During the quarter of an hour dedicated to his testimony, the child never looks at his mother, crying, in the dock. “They did things that bothered me a lot to my private parts. I remember waking up with my pants off, my mother threatening me to undress”adds the child dressed in a light blue sweater, black pants and white sneakers.

Family solidarity

The day before, his father also testified detailing family life. He spoke of the support undertaken every day by the brothers, the sisters, his new partner, to help Emma no longer think about this year 2018: “Today she is feeling much better. She has many friends at school. She always has support. She has forgotten a lot, we have made sure that she forgets too.”

But not entirely. “Are you still having nightmares about what happened?”questions the president. With a gesture of her head, the young girl refutes this assumption made by the court. “No, I don’t have nightmares, I still have bad memories sometimes.”she specifies. In these moments, it is the family that surrounds him.

Her older sister, to whom the victim confided after the events, gave part of the answer during her testimony : “We are very united. When someone is bad we are all behind them, no one finds themselves alone.” This Tuesday, Emma was able to count on her loved ones. After her discussions with the court, she returned to her seat, surrounded by her family.

“She gave you her most precious asset, her trust”

At the end of the day, long after Emma's testimony, her lawyer began his argument. “I would like to talk to you about her. We realize that she is a carefree child. When I met her, Emma did not want to talk to me in the presence of her father and her stepmother. The most precious possession, for a child, it's confidence”adds the council.

And to add: “Before she spoke, I showed her this courtroom. She asked me not to forget anyone – her brothers, her sisters, her mother-in-law and her father – during my argument. She is rebuilding herself. Emma gave you her most precious asset, her trust. Don't betray her.