The family of a woman discovered dead in Douai in May 2021 and whose companion is indicted for homicide, filed a complaint for failure to assist a person in danger against four police officers, his lawyer announced on Wednesday March 1 to AFP. .
The complaint, filed on Tuesday and consulted by AFP, targets four police officers who intervened at the home of this young woman's companion, Aurélie Langelin, a few hours before her death, after a call from a neighbor who complained of threats of from this man.
Covered in bruises
Aged 33 and mother of a 14-year-old girl, Aurélie Langelin was found dead on May 31, 2021, covered with bruises, at the home of her companion, convicted on numerous occasions, in particular for thefts, threats and violence.
Shortly before, the victim had filed a complaint against him for death threats.
It is "
indisputable that the death of Aurélie Langelin occurred because the police officers (...) did not come to her aid when she was objectively exposed to a risk
", can we read in the complaint, filed by Me Damien Legrand.
Read alsoDomestic violence: towards universal emergency aid for victims
These police officers noted that the man, heavily alcoholic, was making disturbing remarks and saw the young woman in her apartment with a "
coquart in her eye
", but chose to do nothing, on the contrary keeping the victim in the presence of his attacker, asking him to stay at home and no longer bother the neighbors, points out the lawyer.
These police officers were aware of the violence exercised by this man on his companion because one of them had already intervened in April 2020 after he had beaten her, he still accuses.
The lawyer also points out that the police did not even mention this “
coquart
” in the daybook following their intervention.
“
I doubt that she had a single blow mark because the next day we find her with 140 bruises, but even a single blow is likely to justify the intervention
”, estimates Me Legrand.
The filing of this complaint follows the completion of an assessment mission by the General Inspectorate of the National Police (IGPN), added to the file by the investigating judge at the end of 2022, according to the lawyer.
This report does not find any fault, but the IGPN "
was content to hear the police officers concerned, without any further investigation
", deplores Me Legrand, therefore believing that only a criminal investigation will shed light on their responsibilities.
Contacted by AFP, the Douai prosecutor's office did not respond immediately.