“It lasted 30 long minutes.” A man beats his pregnant partner

The defendant’s attitude at his trial aroused strong reactions of disapproval from those present. On December 17, Idriss B., a 29-year-old man, was tried by the Tarbes court for domestic violence committed against his partner while she was pregnant.

“On November 12, the police were contacted by a concerned neighbor. She reported that a couple was arguing violently,” reported a magistrate from the criminal chamber. And for good reason: a few minutes before she grabbed the phone, the neighbor saw the occupant of the apartment above come to her house with a bloody face. Chasing after him, his companion broke into the home before grabbing a knife from the kitchen.

“Your partner and the neighbor both stated that you threatened the victim with this knife. You then both returned to your apartment,” added the rapporteur of the file. When police arrived, the young woman opened the door for officers and indicated that her attacker was in the living room. Trembling, shocked, she took several minutes to confide what had just happened to her. The man was taken into custody.

Kicks in the stomach

Earlier in the evening, the victim had already contacted the police to report that she wanted her partner to leave her home because he was drunk. But there was a problem: he was serving a prison sentence under an electronic bracelet (for violence committed against a previous partner), and she accepted that he was domiciled at her address. “She asked the police officer who took her call for advice, but she was told that she could try to calm the situation,” lamented the young woman’s lawyer, Me Stéphane Jaffrain.

And things went from bad to worse when the woman made the decision to put the man’s belongings on the landing while he was out meeting friends. When he returned, he insisted that she let him in. Request to which the victim ended up giving in. But as soon as the door closed, the man punched her in the face and kicked her in the stomach even though he knew she was recently pregnant. If the young woman managed to escape the apartment for the first time, he grabbed her by the arm to bring her back into the apartment and continue to assault her. “It lasted 30 long minutes,” explained Me. Jaffrain.

Examined by an emergency doctor, she presented with a significant hematoma in her left eye and traces of blows all over her body. But above all, a fracture of the nose and the orbital floor. Bleeding following the kicks inflicted on his stomach was also noted.

“I didn’t hit her.”

Faced with the doctor’s damning report and the consistent testimonies of the victim and the neighbor, the man persisted in denying the facts. “It was she who attacked me. Trying to hold and push her hand away, I struck her without intending to do so. I didn’t measure my strength. But I didn’t hit her.” Launched into a long monologue that only he seemed to believe, he tried to present himself as a victim. “Besides, I hadn’t been drinking.”

“However, the police attested that you smelled very strongly of alcohol when you were arrested,” the judge told him. “But we will never know how much since you refused to take the test.” And the imperturbable man retorted: “it’s not because you smell of alcohol that you’ve been drinking. A drink could very well have been spilled on me during the evening. I refused to take a breath because the police been borderline violent with me even though I’m diabetic.”

If his lawyer, Mr. Jacques Bertrand, tried to paint a more flattering portrait of his client, the council’s efforts did not succeed in erasing the defendant’s behavior at the hearing.

The man was sentenced to 30 months in prison, including 6 months suspended (the prosecution had requested 30 months). He is also prohibited from appearing in the Hautes-Pyrénées, at the victim’s home, and from coming into contact with her.