The lawyer for the joint plaintiff had spoken of a case that “goes far beyond domestic violence”.
The criminal court of Alençon sentenced a 41-year-old man on Thursday February 9, 2023 for violence committed against his ex-wife in Alençon (Orne) in 2021. (Orne)
A “good Muslim woman does not divorce”
He was a Muslim and “extremely entrenched in his religion”. On October 8, 2021, he had wanted to take his daughters to morning prayers at five a.m.
His partner had refused and an argument ensued. He punched her in the arm, resulting in temporary incapacity to work (ITT) for three days.
After this incident, she filed a complaint and wanted to leave him. He did not agree, stating that a “good Muslim woman does not divorce”.
The relationship of the couple, who had married in 2012 and have two daughters, deteriorated after they returned from Morocco in 2021. The father repeatedly berated his partner and called her a bad mother.
“Daddy is allowed to hit mommy”
At the hearing on Thursday January 5, after the court adjourned the case, the victim explained that her ex-husband, who was visiting the mosque more and more often, forced the family to learn Arabic and the first twelve chapters of the Koran.
“If you keep speaking French, I will disfigure you,” he had once said to his wife. To their daughter, who had been watching the incident, he had said, “It doesn’t matter, daddy is allowed to beat up mommy once in a while to educate her.”
On 10th April 2022, another violent incident took place in the victim’s flat in Alençon. The accused violently grabbed the daughter by the collar of her jumper and tore the necklace off her neck. actu.fr