Stepfather Sentenced to 25 Years for 5-Year-Old’s Death in French Child Abuse Case

Julien’s sentence is accompanied by five years of socio-judicial supervision with a care order, reports AFP. "This is a decision that we obviously respect" but "which does not correspond, in our opinion, to the facts," reacted one of his lawyers, Gabriel Duménil, adding that his client would consider the opportunity to appeal. Émilie, for her part, will be placed under a three-year probationary regime. This verdict handed down on the fifth day of the trial is a relief for her, her lawyer, Fleur Bridoux, said. Yanis’ mother "acknowledged her responsibility" in her son’s murder and "accepts the sentence."

"I want to apologize, (...) Sorry to all those who knew Yanis," Julien said. "It’s not for the sentence" but I would like "for people to accept that I didn’t want to kill him," he said. On Thursday, he acknowledged his "responsibility" in the death of little Yanis, which remains "accidental" for him. According to his own statements, the minor would have had "several falls" and he would have hit him with a "flashlight blow."

"This bedwetting was just a pretext," commented the lawyer of the association Enfance et partage, Jean-Philippe Broyart, before explaining that the child "could be a burden" for the couple who were managing tensions. He recalled that the minor had told the accused a few hours before the tragedy that he wanted to go back to live with his biological father.

The facts took place on the night of February 5 to 6, 2017. The investigation reveals that the accused had left the hut in Aire-sur-la-Lys where he and his partner were spending the weekend around 12:30 a.m. He had taken Anis to run along the canal in a temperature of five degrees, to punish him for having "wet the bed." On Tuesday, the accused claimed to have only gone out to get tobacco, accompanied by the child.

Furthermore, the autopsy revealed that the death of this minor was due to a head injury resulting from a violent impact. "No less than 30 distinct bruises, some of which were not contemporary - dating back several days - and various abrasions were found on the body of the young victim," said a forensic physician from the Lille Forensic Institute.