Bobigny: a man before the assizes for “punitive” rape of a lesbian

"He punished me for three things: being a lesbian, not being afraid to take him home, and not being afraid to say no . " Thursday and Friday, a 24-year-old man appears in Bobigny, accused of having raped, beaten and robbed a young woman "because of her sexual orientation" .

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On October 8, 2017, at 3:30 a.m., Jeanne (first name changed), 30, drinks a beer with a friend on the steps of Place de la République, in Paris, after an evening hosed down in a nightclub. A young man approaches them. While the boy is flirting with her, Jeanne "tries to put a stop to her" and explains to him that she is a lesbian, she tells AFP. Joined by a friend of the young man, they continue the evening with four and settle in a park, where they continue to drink.

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"Seduced" , Jeanne, who has had no history with a man for almost ten years, ends up going home, in Saint-Ouen (Seine-Saint-Denis) around 6:30 am, accompanied by the young man. As they begin sexual intercourse, Jeanne changes her mind and asks her to stop. According to his testimony, he then called her a "little ass" and said: "Ah, you love girls, I'm going to make you love" .

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Almost two hours of beatings and sexual abuse followed. Until the young man finally leaves the apartment, after stealing a signet ring and his victim's credit card. "Before leaving, he said to me, ' Do you understand now, will you be less stupid?' ", Reports the young woman.

An attacker already known to the police

The forensic doctor who will examine Jeanne a few hours after the facts will note "very numerous wounds on the whole body" , "a perforation of the eardrum" and "bruises in the neck and chest" . And will grant him 20 days of total incapacity for work (ITT).

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After two weeks of investigation, his alleged attacker, already known to the police for acts of sexual assault and robbery with violence, is arrested in Herouville-Saint-Clair (Calvados), where he lives with his partner. Confused by video surveillance images and by his DNA, he declared to the investigators that he had only consented sexual intercourse, "without any violence" , with the young woman. He will be charged and imprisoned. Asked by AFP, the accused's lawyer did not wish to make statements.

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At the end of the investigations, the investigating judge decided to refer him to the Assize Court for rape, "with the aggravating circumstance that the acts were committed because of the victim's sexual orientation ". The accused will also be charged with robbery and attempted fraud.

Now 33 years old, Jeanne, who had initially considered asking for the camera, finally wants a public trial.

“To file a rape complaint is terrible, it is a long and hard fight which is added to rape. Going to the end of the procedure, enduring this ordeal is worth it if it allows justice to be passed , ”she said. Stressing that "there are so few women who get a trial" , she waits until what she has experienced "is recognized as a crime" . The verdict is expected Friday.

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