Moroccan Man in France Sentenced for Domestic Violence Against Wife and Mistress

The events took place in 2019, reports Actu.fr. Exasperated by her partner’s behavior, Julie* filed a complaint against Rachid* at the police station in Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray, for marital rape and domestic violence. In this complaint, she recounts the hell this man made her live through. Their relationship turned into a nightmare the day the partner discovered that her partner was having an adulterous relationship with a certain Aurélie*. "From that moment on, he changed, he controlled me, isolated me from my friends and family, and monitored my movements," she tells the investigators.

The scenes of violence followed one another. "One evening, he grabbed me by the hair to subdue me and threatened to disfigure me," Julie confides. She became pregnant in January 2019. Under pressure from her man, she had an abortion. In March, "he imposed a violent sexual intercourse on me," before leaving for Morocco to get religiously married," she continues. Like her, Aurélie also suffered violence. "I discovered that he was cheating on me, I left him, he couldn’t stand it, he violently headbutted me in the forehead," she confides during the hearings. She confirms that she is pregnant with the man.

Rachid will be arrested and then taken into custody. He flatly denies the facts he is accused of. Indicted for acts of rape and domestic violence, he will be provisionally incarcerated. He will spend 15 months and 21 days in detention. During his appearance on November 10, 2020, the defendant describes his partner as "a liar, aggressive and hysterical," and assures that in this case "he is the victim." His words annoy Julie: "I want him to take responsibility for his actions; I was stupid to go back to him, but he had beautiful words, I thought he would change, I thought it was my fault."

The court renders its verdict: Rachid is sentenced to two years in prison, including one year suspended, and is prohibited from contacting the victims for three years. He was ordered to pay a fine of 1,500 euros in damages to Julie. Rachid regains his freedom due to the 15 months and 21 days spent in detention.

*Borrowed first names