French court sentences man who burned pregnant woman alive to 18 years in prison

The 2019 murder of a high school student sparked outrage in France over the number of women killed by their partners.

A relative carries a photo of murdered student Shaina. Photo: AFP

The court heard that the defendant, a 17-year-old high school student at the time, lured Shaina to a warehouse in the town of Creil north of Paris to kill her and burn her body.

A post-mortem examination found “multiple knife wounds”, but Shaina was still breathing when the fire started. Prosecutor Loic Abrial said the crime was “premeditated at every stage”.

The offender had faced a more severe sentence of 20 or 30 years in prison, but the court took into account his juvenile status and reduced the sentence.

In response, the victim Shaina's brother Yasin angrily cried out.

"18 years! That's justice in France," he shouted at the special juvenile court in Oise, and had a tense exchange with the defendant before collapsing and being taken to hospital.

According to official figures, every three days a woman is murdered by her partner or former partner in France.

Shaina's case was particularly shocking, not only because of her young age but also because two years earlier she had been the victim of a sexual assault for which four other young men had been sentenced to suspended prison terms ranging from six months to two years.

According to investigators, Shaina may have been in the early stages of pregnancy at the time of her murder, and was described by her mother as "fun-loving and smiling".

The day before she was murdered, she went out after a family dinner. In her bag, relatives found a positive pregnancy test.

Mai Van (according to AFP, CNA)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/toa-an-phap-ket-an-18-nam-tu-ke-thieu-song-ban-gai-mang-thai-post251138.html