A French police officer has been ordered to pay 1,000 euros, or roughly $1,000 after he described a lady who filed a sexual assault grievance as a “whore”, a supply near the case mentioned on Saturday.
In a case that sparked outrage in France, the lady, then 34, filed a grievance at a Paris police station in February 2022, saying she had been assaulted on the street after a number of drinks on an evening out.
A male police officer later referred to as her on the telephone to ask her to return again and end the paperwork. After he left a message — considering he had hung up — he began insulting her, calling her a “whore” thrice.
The case sparked indignation from activists, who mentioned it mirrored what number of law enforcement officials handled victims of sexual violence.
French statistics in 2017 confirmed that over 80,000 grownup girls face rape or tried rape yearly within the nation however solely 10% file a grievance, the Related Press reported.
However like many international locations throughout the globe, the #MeToo motion prompted social and governmental adjustments in recent times. The variety of reported instances of sexual violence has greater than doubled from 2016 to 2023, in line with French newspaper Le Monde.
In a uncommon remark, France’s then inside minister, Gerald Darmanin, mentioned the 33-year-old officer must be fired.
The policeman was charged with “private insult due to gender”. However a French court docket cleared the policeman of legal legal responsibility in January 2024. Through the trial, the officer apologized and mentioned he needed to beg Darmanin to maintain his job.
The girl then appealed in opposition to the choice, asking judicial authorities to acknowledge the officer’s misconduct.
On Jan. 30, the Paris Courtroom of Enchantment sided with the lady and mentioned the policeman ought to pay her 1,000 euros, in line with a duplicate of the ruling obtained by AFP.
The police officer repeatedly apologized for his remarks, however insisted that they had been merely an expression of his annoyance at procedural irregularities.
In its ruling, the court docket discovered that “it can’t be disputed that the time period ‘la pute’ (whore) repeated a number of instances is offensive and was, in view of the context, aimed toward (the plaintiff) due to her intercourse”.
The girl’s lawyer Arie Alimi mentioned it was needed “to go all the way in which” to attract consideration to the bias “in direction of victims of sexual and gender-based violence and in direction of victims of law enforcement officials”.
A lawyer for the police officer didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Within the nation’s most up-to-date high-profile case of sexual violence, the previous husband of Gisèle Pelicot, who admitted to drugging and raping her repeatedly for nearly a decade and welcoming dozens of different males to assault her as effectively, was discovered responsible of aggravated rape.
Forty-nine males whom Dominique Pelicot introduced into his house to assault his spouse had been additionally convicted as a part of the identical landmark trial.
Pelicot’s case triggered protests throughout France, and there was hope amongst some demonstrators that the case may result in adjustments in controversial French legal guidelines governing sexual consent.
