The alleged acts are abject. The Allier Criminal Court delivered its verdict this Wednesday, October 15, in a case dating back to 1995 but which was revealed only five years ago, in 2020. The accused, a 46-year-old man, was sentenced to seven years in prison.

He was being tried for rape and sexual assault committed from the age of 18, in 1997. The victims in this case are none other than members of his family, namely his sister, his three half-sisters and two of his cousins. They were all minors at the time of the events.

The verdict handed down this Wednesday is significantly lower than the 13-year prison sentence requested by the prosecution during the hearing, which was held behind closed doors. The defendant's lawyer, Catherine Etard-Gallot, stated that her client "will not appeal."

The sentence, with provisional execution and five years of social and judicial monitoring, was handed down with a deferred committal order, she said. This means he will be summoned to appear in court within four months to be imprisoned.

Before the court, the victims said they had been sexually abused, some at a very young age, from the age of 9, and sometimes until they reached the age of 18. According to them, the accused threatened them, offering them money, gifts, or candy to keep them quiet.

"None of them knew that the others were also victims of his actions, which took place at the same time," explained Vanessa Frasson, lawyer for the three half-sisters, now aged 36, 38 and 40, before the trial began.

"HE WANTS TO RESPECT THE VICTIMS"

As previously stated, the case only came to light in 2020. At the time, one of the three half-sisters told her father that she had been assaulted from the age of 10 to 14. In November of the same year, another sister of the accused filed a complaint, but the facts are time-barred. Then, little by little, the number of victims increased each time. These complaints, filed for acts of violence , are not time-barred.

Married and father of two children, the defendant appeared in court on Monday, free under judicial supervision, after spending a year in detention. His lawyer, Catherine Etard-Gallot, spoke at the end of Monday's hearing.

"My client had a very difficult childhood, with an alcoholic and sexually violent father and parents with unbridled sexuality, which was devastating for this child," the defendant's lawyer told AFP.

According to her, "he wants to respect the victims and (...) wanted to speak and apologize during his hearings for his behavior and the harm he caused them."