Victim of repeated rapes, Karine Jambu and her aunt Laurence Brunet-Jambu had published the book Signalements to denounce the inaction of children’s aid. – C. Allain / 20 Minutes
- Accused of not having protected a child victim of repeated rape, the French state was convicted of gross misconduct on Tuesday by the Paris Court of Appeal.
- This is a historic first for French justice. Only European justice had taken this decision in the past.
- From 2002 to 2005, Karine Jambu was raped by Roland Blaudy, a friend of her parents. Neither her parents, nor the justice system, nor her doctor had known how to protect her.
This is a historic first. This Tuesday, the French state was condemned for “denial of justice” and especially for “multiple heavy faults” for not having protected a young woman living in Rennes, victim of repeated rape when she was a child. Karine Jambu, her aunt Laurence Brunet-Jambu and her uncle were recognized as victims of these serious breaches and will be compensated, learned 20 minutes with their lawyer. This is the first time that French justice has condemned the State for such facts.
Her ordeal began in 2002, when she was only four years old. Almost twenty years later, Karine Jambu hopes to be able to close the most painful chapter of her life. Victim of multiple rapes at her home under the eyes of her parents, the young woman is now standing. This Tuesday, she and her aunt were however trembling, while waiting to know the decision of the court of appeal of Paris. And tears flowed at the announcement of the deliberation. Already found guilty of “denial of justice” at first instance, the State was this time condemned for “serious misconduct”. Quite a symbol for Karine.
In 2019, justice recognized the guilt of his executioner. Roland Blaudy had been sentenced to thirty years in prison by the Ille-et-Vilaine Assize Court. But his parents, witnesses of the worst atrocities, had not been found guilty of complicity but simply of “witness tampering”. “Karine thinks about it a lot. This hearing is a way of acknowledging a guilt that has not been recognized for his parents, ”explains his aunt Laurence Brunet-Jambu.
Her mother killed her baby with 180 stab wounds
This fight for her niece, whom she has since adopted, will remain as historic. The State had never been condemned by its justice for breaches. Last year, the European Court of Human Rights had recognized the guilt of the French state in the death of little Marina Sabatier, whose lifeless body was found in 2009 near Le Mans. But not French justice.
Karine’s case is different. First, because the victim is alive, and determined not to let go of the many errors that made his ordeal endure. But also that of the other victims of Roland Blaudy. In Karine’s case, a simple placement at birth would undoubtedly have saved the girl from having such a terrible childhood. Her mother Anne-Marie, devoid of any maternal feeling, had been convicted in the past for having killed her baby with 180 stab wounds.
Kept in the parental home, Karine had fallen prey to a sexual predator. Friend of parents, Roland Blaudy bought their silence in exchange for cigarettes, alcohol or provisions. Certain behaviors of the girl reported by the school should have alerted the authorities. But neither the family doctor, nor the members of the parquet floor of Rennes had known how to put an end to his ordeal. “About ten reports in total. This is an exceptional case, ”summed up his lawyer, Me Grégory Thuan. In the first instance, it is the “abnormally long time” to process the reports which had been criticized by the Rennes prosecutor’s office and led to the condemnation of the State. Justice decided to go further. For Karine, and all the other victims, this long fight tastes of revenge.