Cat Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 Anybody following the story of Valentin, the 11 year old boy found dead in Ain?His parents are in the process of divorce, and Valentin was staying with the mother's new boyfriend for a few days. The police initially thought that he had been attacked by a dog, but the autopsy has revealed that he was stabbed 44 times. 10 of the stab-wounds were defence wounds on his hands and arms inflicted as the child tried to defend himself.http://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2008/07/30/valentin-11-ans-victime-de-44-coups-de-couteau_1078660_3224.htmlAbsolutely heartbreaking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clair Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 Will this turn out to be yet another horrific outcome of a divorce/custody battle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybananasbrother Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 The police are going over the parent's homes to see what is what. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Posted July 30, 2008 Author Share Posted July 30, 2008 The police searched the parent's homes but made no arrests, although both of their cars were towed away for analysis.Clair, that is exactly the thought that occured to me too, sadly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Animal Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 I hope they get whoever did that. Some of the wounds were 10 cms deep. Just went out for a ride on his bike, just a few yards from the house. After all those stabbings he wasn't dead and even managed to get part of the way back to the house.Yes, by the number of wounds they thought at first it was a dog who had attacked him, but no, it was a "human being" who did that to a young boy on holiday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belle Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 I wouldn't call someone who could do that to a child, a human being, just some sort of animal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Animal Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 Not even. And to think he's alive out there somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babcock Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 I've taken to reading Figaro as an antidote to the pink spec brigade. A few days previously a teenager killed her granny for €6000. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Posted July 31, 2008 Author Share Posted July 31, 2008 The results of the DNA samples taken from the adult's bloody handprint on the wooden gate that Valentin was found beside, as well as those taken from the 150 metre trail of blood leading away from the scene, should be announced today.Let's hope they nail whoever did this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Animal Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 [quote user="babcock"]I've taken to reading Figaro as an antidote to the pink spec brigade. A few days previously a teenager killed her granny for €6000.[/quote]There was recently a young girl killed for about the same amount.Cat, I think the trail of blood went over a distance of 1.5 kms. They say that if it's Valentin's it would mean he was attacked further away. But where did they find his bike?I'm wondering if it could be a youngster who did this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clair Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 Le Progrès, local paper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Posted July 31, 2008 Author Share Posted July 31, 2008 Sorry, you're right Christine, it was 1500 metres. The bike (and his shoes) were found 20 metres away from his body, beside a large pool of blood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Posted July 31, 2008 Author Share Posted July 31, 2008 A man has been arrested in Agen in connection with the murder http://www.lefigaro.fr/actualite-france/2008/07/31/01016-20080731ARTFIG00351-affaire-valentin-un-homme-en-garde-a-vue-a-agen-.phpIt sounds a bit weak though, and seems to have nothing to do with the DNA results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cassis Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 On a related issue, would others say that crimes against children by adults are more common and, possibly, more acceptable in France than in the UK? I can virtually guarantee that in the regional (Western France) paper I buy each Saturday there will be an article on page two (the crime page) for at least one child abuse case - be it sexual, violence or neglect. There is never an editorial crying outrage as you might expect in the UK - they are just treated as run-of-the-mill crimes, like a burglary or car accidents (alongside which they appear). It's only when it occurs on a huge, institutionalised or monstrous scale that it makes big news. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Posted July 31, 2008 Author Share Posted July 31, 2008 I don't know if crimes against children are more common, and I don't buy a French paper, but as far as French TV news goes it it might just be that the reporting style is less sensational. Everything seems to be given the same weight, be it a horrible murder, a strike, the price of oil or the fact that people more buy ice-cream when the sun shines and Madam Dupont's courgettes are abnormally large this year.The only thing that seems to get the full blown "oh my god" treatment is when a celebrity dies, and then it gets the number one slot on the news, and their full life history, and tributes from all and sundry, going on for about 20 minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Animal Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 Sorry, my eyesight's bad, the girl I was thinking of was murdered by a young man for 600 euros (the granny above for 6,000). There seems to be no respect or value for someone else's life.http://www.lepoint.fr/actualites-societe/meutre-de-pontivy-l-auteur-presume-mis-en-examen/920/0/262279 The gendarmes in rural areas do seem to be busy with cases of incest, etc. Some years ago our neighbour stopped buying the local newspaper for his elderly mother as she was getting very upset reading all the "faits divers". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cassis Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 [quote user="Cat"]The only thing that seems to get the full blown "oh my god" treatment is when a celebrity dies, and then it gets the number one slot on the news, and their full life history, and tributes from all and sundry, going on for about 20 minutes. [/quote]Yes, that rings true. And why does every 8.00pm news prog seemingly end with a crap "Kultchural" feature, no matter how banal or unworthy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Posted July 31, 2008 Author Share Posted July 31, 2008 Quite honestly, every time I watch the news it's floods, earthquakes, explosions, fires and other disasters of biblical proportions. I'm not at all religious, but I can see very easily why those that are might believe that the end of days and rapture will shortly be upon us. If we were living in biblical times now, they'd have to write a gospel about it.I'm more chicken little myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Animal Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 The blood found in the town was not from Valentin and gives a masculine ADNMeurtre de Valentin: les analyses du sang montrent un ADN masculin inconnu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clair Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 Les bourreaux présumés du petit Valentin interpellésThe alleged torturers of small Valentin arrested Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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