It is a court decision that will be a landmark in Reims. Jean-Paul Isaki was sentenced this Wednesday by the Marne Assize Court to 25 years of criminal imprisonment for the rape and murder of Paul, said Paula on April 7, 2021. The 30-year-old accused, who remained silent for almost the entire duration of the trial, was convicted of rape and murder aggravated by the fact that they were committed due to sexual orientation or the gender identity of the victim. Jean-Paul Isaki had been on trial since Monday for the rape and murder in Reims of Paula, a 50-year-old transgender woman raped and killed with scissors at her home on avenue de Laon on April 7, 2021. A drama which aroused great emotion at the time.
“We did him justice” — Paula’s niece
After three days of trial, the Court therefore delivered its verdict after less than three hours of deliberations. A little earlier today, the attorney general had requested 30 years of criminal imprisonment considering that the risk of recidivism was very high due to the lack of awareness and psychological monitoring of the accused during his years of pre-trial detention, and that the transphobic dimension of the crimes was clearly established.
“It is really not common for this type of aggravating circumstance to be upheld by the courts. and this is the case, so I think it will make noise and it will have the virtue of telling the victims [transgenres] not to give in and that’s the message we wanted to send.”greets Maître Mourad Benkoussa, one of the lawyers for the civil parties. “We did him justice,” underlines with emotion Paula’s niece, Laura, the one who acted as her aunt’s voice throughout the trial, denouncing in passing the way society views transgender people. “I finally hope that these people will have the courage to leave their homes, I was proud of my aunt and I would have liked her to leave her house as Paula”, smiled Laura.
The accused was sentenced to 25 years of criminal imprisonment with a two-thirds security sentence and 5 years of socio-judicial monitoring with an obligation of care. He has 10 days to appeal.
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