At the Carcassonne judicial court on Wednesday, November 13, a man in his thirties was sentenced to 18 months in prison for hitting his ex-partner, mother of his two children in February 2020 in Conques-sur- Orbiel.
A two-part affair. Last Wednesday, November 13, a man in his thirties appeared for domestic violence perpetrated against his ex-partner, mother of his two children. Both being part of the Traveler community, two incidents in particular constituted the complaint: one in Mulhouse on September 23, 2019, the second in Conques-sur-Orbiel on February 29, 2020.
For the first, the victim claimed to have received a punch from the defendant in the face, inevitably breaking his nose. The second took place while the couple was staying in a chalet. Then pregnant with a second child, she expressed disagreement over the choice of the first name which would have angered the thirty-year-old. Who then allegedly grabbed her by the neck, hitting her repeatedly against the wall, until she urinated on herself out of fear. Following this new violent argument, the mother decided to leave her partner but did not immediately file a complaint. It was not until August 2021 that she did so.
On the stand, the defendant continued to deny the alleged facts: “The first time, I did nothing. It was our child, aged 2 at the time, who involuntarily headbutted him. In Conques-sur-Orbiel, the course of the day was particular. She had a hysterical attack, I don't know why. On top of that our son was outside the chalet in the cold. I had to take care of everything. just one repeat to calm her down and I grabbed her to try to control her. When she fell on top of her, I thought her water was breaking. We both rushed to the emergency room.”
In this case, I don't know if we are in 2024 or in 1950
The 30-year-old continued by indicating that since his departure four years ago, he has only seen his children every other weekend. “In this case, I don’t know if we are in 2024 or in 1950”castigated the lawyer for the civil party. “We face the typical profile of the violent mythomaniacshe argued. No, you don't get your nose broken by a two-year-old that easily.”
€5,000 was requested for moral damage and an additional €1,500 for the victim's family “who has been dealing with his emotions for 3 years.” A second lawyer for the civil party claimed €2,000 for moral damages suffered by the child who witnessed the scenes, also injuring his feet at a time when the father would have “smashed a glass on the floor in rage”. The requisitions put forward by the prosecutor's attorney went in the same direction: 18 months of criminal imprisonment accompanied by 6 months with probationary suspension for 2 years, an obligation for psychological care as well as for addiction or even a ban on approaching the victim.
For his part, the defense lawyer focused on the plaintiff's interim action having intervened with the JAF (family court judge) in the context of child custody in the summer of 2021. “For the episode that took place in 2019, I continue to say that the elements are insufficienthe insisted. In addition, the time elapsed between the events in 2020 and 2021 suggests that a well-oiled strategy has been organized. The punishment must certainly punish his behavior but in proportion to the acts he actually committed.”
After deliberation, the court acquitted the defendant of the 2019 acts, but sentenced him to 18 months in prison, suspended for the remainder.
