A former legionnaire was sentenced Friday, June 17 to life in Nîmes (Gard) for the murder of a three-year-old boy whom he had beaten up in November 2019 while he had custody of him for the evening.
The sentence pronounced by the Assize Court of Gard was accompanied by a security sentence of 18 years.
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Martin Barison, a 30-year-old Italian, admitted during his trial, which has been held since Wednesday before the Gard Assize Court, having hit little Ethan with a hundred punches and kicks, one of the two sons of the woman who had been his companion for seven months and who had entrusted him with the care of her children while she went out with friends.
The little boy was found dead in his bed the next morning, visibly the victim of multiple violence.
Willingness to “take revenge” on his partner
During the investigation, Martin Barison presented several versions of the facts and accused his "
girlfriend
" of being responsible for the death of his son.
She will spend a year in pre-trial detention before being completely cleared by the courts.
Before the Assize Court, he ended up confessing, explaining that he wanted to “take
revenge
” on his companion, the object of intense jealousy.
“
I wanted to hurt her, and unfortunately Ethan was between us
”.
“
Ethan was watching television.
I exploded, I punched him, I kicked his stomach, I threw him on the floor, he hit his head several times.
I knew it was his favorite (son).
He was in pain, he shouted, I didn't hear anything, I
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Thursday, the Advocate General, Willy Lubin, had demanded a sentence of 30 years of criminal imprisonment, accompanied by 20 years of security, towards the former soldier.
“
Like you, I am shocked at what this three-year-old suffered that day.
Like you, I'm shocked that a neighbor hears her cries for forty minutes and doesn't intervene.
Like you, I am shocked that a child can die in silence
”, said the representative of the public ministry.
“
All the bodily regions of this child were affected by the extreme violence.
This kid agonized, because the individual lesions could not lead to death, it is the addition of the traumas that are responsible for the death
“, testified in a cathedral silence the boss of the forensic medicine unit of the CHU of Nîmes, Dr Mounir Benslima.
“
I am guilty, I deserve the sentence that will be given to me
,” said the ex-legionnaire before the court retired to deliberate.