“I did everything to ensure that what happened to me would not be repeated,” testifies a previous victim of the suspect

This is the first time she has spoken since the discovery of the body of Philippine, a 19-year-old student at Paris-Dauphine University found buried in the Bois de Boulogne, in western Paris. A judicial investigation was opened for rape and homicide. Taha O., a 22-year-old Moroccan already convicted in 2021 for rape, is the main suspect. Arrested in Switzerland on Tuesday, the French authorities indicated on Thursday that they would quickly request his extradition.

“I filed a complaint, stood my ground during the two years of investigation”

“I am the first victim of Taha O.”, indicated by email the author of the letter. “I think of Philippine and her family, and I am immensely sad. I would like to comfort them, comfort her, but I only face the unbearable void left by her death.”

“I did everything to ensure that what happened to me would not be repeated,” she continues. “I filed a complaint […]held firm during the two years of investigation, instruction and then trial, telling me that my approach would protect other women,” insists the woman who was then represented by lawyer Sylvain Dumay.

“Why did the prison system fail to prevent this recidivism? »

Convicted, Taha O. was released in June 2024, “at the end of his sentence” according to the Paris prosecutor’s office. A few months later, Philippine was killed. “Why did the prison system fail to prevent this recidivism? Why were we unable to stop this escalation of violence leading to the murder of a young woman? », asks the writer of the letter.

Strong reactions

The fact that the suspect is under an obligation to leave French territory (OQTF) has sparked strong reactions, in particular from the far right. The Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, notably urged us to “evolve our legal arsenal, to protect the French”.

The “dysfunction” of the OQTF should not “obliterate the essential question of recidivism”, the woman qualifies in her letter. “What measures to prevent recidivism are planned and actually implemented in detention centers? What is the impact of detention in reducing the risk of repeat offenses? What reintegration support programs are planned? », she lists.