The brother of a 15-year-old teenager Shaïna Hansye who was stabbed, doused with gasoline, and burned alive by her Muslim boyfriend while pregnant with his baby, has expressed his anger over the prosecution’s decision not to appeal her killer’s prison sentence of 18 years.
The Juvenile Assize Court of Beauvais, northern France, sentenced her killer on June 9 after finding him guilty of luring Shaïna to a shed in the town of Creil and burning her alive back in October 2019. Forensic evidence provided to the court through the trial showed Shaïna had been stabbed multiple times with a knife and was alive when she was set alight.
The prosecution had pressed throughout the trial for a sentence in the region of 30 years’ imprisonment; however, the court ruled that because the killer had been 17 years old — and therefore a minor — at the time of the offense, a shorter penalty was proportionate.
At the time of the sentencing, Shaïna’s brother, Yasin Hansye, slammed the decision and shouted at the court, “18 years! That’s justice in France.”
It is understood the family of Shaïna wanted the prosecution to appeal the sentence, but no appeal has been filed and the timeframe to do so has now lapsed.
In a statement on Thursday, Yasin wrote: “More than 10 days have passed since the Beauvais Assize Court sentenced Shaïna Hansye’s killer to 18 years in prison on June 10, 2023.
“No appeal has taken place in time — neither on the part of the defense, nor on the part of the prosecution — and so this decision has become final. The accused killed my sister because she was pregnant by him and wanted to carry her pregnancy to term. She was stabbed at least eight times in her stomach before having gasoline poured over her body and being set on fire.
“If the lack of appeal of the defense can be understood, the absence of appeal of the prosecution which had requested 30 years in prison with the lifting of the excuse of minority, raises questions,” he wrote.
Yasin contrasted the different approach taken in other criminal matters such as organized crime where he claimed the prosecution will often immediately exercise its right of appeal. However, in the case of “terrifying and tragic” violence against women, prosecutors don’t seem to pursue matters as far, he wrote.
Shaïna’s brother continued to criticize the “excessive delays of justice, the clumsiness and errors of judgment” throughout the proceedings, and said the “failing prosecution” had done little to appease the Hansye family.
“Violence against women remains a secondary matter and its judicial treatment — despite perpetual promises — is unsatisfactory. The Shaïna case should encourage us to act urgently. Personally, I will work on it over the weeks and months to come.”
“May the memory of Shaïna, valiant and free, resist these times and our shortcomings,” he added.