“I said to myself 'either he rapes me or he kills me'”
.
Maria, 55, is the first to take the stand on Wednesday, October 6 in the morning.
Aïssa Zerouati, a 46-year-old father, is retried on appeal in Paris for around thirty rapes or sexual assaults committed between 1995 and 2000 on isolated paths in the vast forest of Sénart (Essonne).
Arrested and indicted at the end of 2015, because confused by his DNA at the end of a long investigation which lasted nearly twenty years, the accused continues to categorically deny the facts.
To read also Robberies in the forest of Sénart: the accused again in court
Maria suffered an attempted rape in the Sénart forest on September 2, 1997. Then 31 years old, Maria “
juggles
” between fixed-term contracts and temporary work assignments.
“At that time, I was living with my parents. I made spontaneous applications in the morning and then I would go for a run, ”
explains this woman of Spanish origin, dressed in black boots, jeans and a white top. On September 2, 1997, a sunny day, Maria went jogging at the end of the morning. At Quincy-sous-Sénart, it heads towards the forest. “
I was running and saw a little black moped pass on my left. I continued to run, the moped came back behind me then doubled me, it seemed weird to me
», She remembers.
Maria then sees the vehicle immobilized a few meters further on, but the driver has disappeared.
Puzzled, she thought to herself that maybe he was taking a "
wee break
" and kept running.
But she is suddenly attacked.
"I thought of death"
“He threw himself violently on me and grabbed me by the hair,”
says Maria. The thirty-something finds herself thrown to the ground by her attacker, wearing an opaque motorcycle helmet, which he keeps.
"He said 'jerk me off and suck me' while opening his fly,"
continues Maria. The young woman refuses and tries to make her attacker believe that she has AIDS. In vain. While he manages to rub against her, Maria struggles, takes blows and feels her strength abandoning her. “
I thought of death and I had a thought for my parents. I struggled as long as I could
She recalls in a trembling voice. In the struggle, Maria manages to bite her attacker on the finger. The latter's blood as well as his semen will be found on the jogger's clothes. After a few minutes, faced with resistance from Maria, her assailant, the coward, returns to his moped and flees. To the police, Maria describes her attacker as an individual "
between 25 and 30 years old
", "
thin
", "
of the Maghrebian type
", about 1.70 m, with "
a young and trembling voice
" and "
a city accent.
". Striking detail: the individual wears a thin wedding ring on the left ring finger.
More than 20 years after the events, Maria remains traumatized by this assault. “
Since that day my life has changed. I never go out alone, I don't run alone anymore. I became suspicious and even aggressive at times,
”she explains. “
My relationships with men are not easy, it doesn't work,
” adds the fifty-
something
, purchasing manager in a company. “
Today, I am still afraid, for myself and for my son. I'm also afraid for the women he will meet when he comes out,
”adds Maria, specifying that she plans to move away from the Paris region. She concludes: “
I would like him to take the maximum and not go out. I want to turn the page and move on. I would like thathe admits
". Installed in the box of the accused, Aïssa Zerouati - sneakers, caramel pants, white sweatshirt, shaved head and small glasses - gets up and speaks. "
I have nothing to do with this aggression, I am innocent,
" he breathes in a calm voice. He categorically denies all the rapes and sexual assaults with which he is accused.
The scenario told by Maria is exactly the same as that described by several victims. Wearing a full-face motorcycle helmet that he never removes, the attacker simulates a moped breakdown and pounces on women he had spotted when they passed him. Once the women are overpowered with his fists, he demands oral sex or masturbation from his victims or rapes them. Several victims also described an individual of the Maghreb type, with a "
city accent
" and a "
small, very soft penis who ejaculates quickly
". Other hearings of civil parties will continue in the afternoon.
As a reminder, on October 8, 2020, after four weeks of trial, the Evry Assize Court found Aïssa Zerouati guilty of most of the charges against her, based in particular on DNA found on 16 victims.
The accused had been sentenced to 20 years of criminal imprisonment.
The verdict of the appeal trial is expected Thursday, October 21.
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