Justice System Error Led to Fatal Stabbing of Domestic Violence Victim in Épinay-sur-Seine

The facts date back to November 26, 2021. As Bouchra was returning from work, she was stabbed to death by her ex-husband at the foot of her building in Épinay-sur-Seine (Seine-Saint-Denis). "Khalid F., 51, had already served a prison sentence for domestic violence and was prohibited from approaching her, for two years, as part of a probationary suspension. After defying the ban, he had been re-incarcerated for two months. Not posing any problems in prison, he had been able to be released two weeks earlier, thanks to regulatory sentence reductions," reported Le Parisien.

The 44-year-old woman was a thousand miles away from knowing that her ex-partner had been released from prison on November 17. His release should normally have been effective on December 8, 2021. "However, it appears that the release date had indeed been communicated by the Essonne prosecutor’s office to the Bobigny prosecutor’s office. [...] The email announcing Khalid F.’s release date was sent to the Bobigny prosecutor’s office, not to the common address, but to the professional address of a few magistrates." But the justice system had not shared this information with the Moroccan forty-year-old, even though she was equipped with a "danger phone". There was no formalized protocol for notifying victims yet.