Domestic violence at the Guingamp court: “That evening, it was she who jumped on me”

What happened on November 1, 2023 at this couple's home in Graces? “Nothing coincides in your respective statements,” notes the president of the Guingamp court. In front of him this Friday, a man prosecuted for domestic violence. His ex-partner, absent from the hearing, accuses him of having hit her with a belt, slapped her, dragged her to the ground by her hair. The medical certificate produced mentions a wound, traces of recent and old blows, on the body and face.

Shrunken pants, breakup and cocaine

Starting point of this altercation, “pants that have shrunk in the machine…” notes the president. The couple is in the middle of a separation, and that evening they both used cocaine. The defendant denies the facts: “I wanted to leave her, that’s when she invented these stories. I didn’t hit her.” According to him, she was self-harming. “In police custody, you nevertheless admitted that you sometimes got into trouble,” notes the president.

Asked about his previous convictions, including two for domestic violence against two other women, the defendant replied that he did not remember or “she lied”. In this story, he calls himself a victim. “That night, she was the one who jumped up and punched me in the face.” Since the incident, he has filed a complaint against her for harassment due to text messages filled with threats.

An alleged victim?

His lawyer relied heavily on the profile of the ex-partner, her convictions for armed robbery and kidnapping. “Madame is not an altar boy, (…) We are faced with an alleged victim, a deceived woman who wanted revenge. Someone wacky who has psychiatric problems. She is claiming damages of €60,000, we do not know on what grounds,” he pleaded before requesting a release.

“Today is not Madam’s trial and here, there is no good or bad victim,” said the prosecutor. For him, the defendant's guilt is beyond doubt. “He says he is the victim of a frame-up and it would not be the first time, but he has no trace of beatings.” The court agreed with his submissions, handing down a sentence of one year's imprisonment, including six months with a two-year probationary suspension.