Moroccan-French Couple’s Marital Dispute Leads to Kidnapping Trial in Narbonne

Kamel M., and his brother Mohamed B., appeared on Friday, March 25 at 8:30 am before the Narbonne court to answer for the acts of kidnapping and sequestration committed between March 1 and 2, 2012 between Narbonne and Rabat, reports L’Indépendant. After their marriage in Morocco in 2010, Kamel and Hind M. settled in Narbonne where Kamel’s family has lived for nearly 50 years. This is the beginning of the troubles for the young bride.

While the couple was spending the family evening at Hind’s in-laws, a violent argument broke out. The situation quickly deteriorated. Her mother-in-law and the accused’s sisters prevented her from leaving the home. They hit her several times with scratches on her arms and head and locked her in a room, guarded by the brother-in-law, Mohamed B. The next day, they decided to bring the daughter-in-law back to her parents living in Rabat. They then took her by force to the airport.

Once arrived at her destination between March 3 and 4, Hind managed to escape. She returned to France, where she immediately initiated legal proceedings. "I had to constantly clean, cook, take care of everyone’s children. I was considered the maid," she said in her 2012 hearing. She decided to have herself hospitalized in psychiatry.

At the bar on March 25, the two defendants deny the accusations: "this whole story is false, it never happened." Kamel M. admits to having seen his family a lot, but claims that the life the victim described is not this one. The Public Prosecutor’s Office requested two years in prison, with one year suspended, with three years of restraining orders and 10,000 euros to be paid for moral damages. The verdict is expected on May 13.