I Asked My Mother Why You Are So Tough

The Béthune Criminal Court worked to provide an explanation on January 24 as to what was occurring within the walls of the red brick house in noyelles-sous-lens (Pas-de-Calais). In front of a larger audience than usual for this type of file, the daily activities of the family who resided in the pavilion that the media had renamed "the house of horror" were examined for eight hours.

The prosecution asked for a two-year suspended prison sentence against a couple in this courtroom where, according to the defense, "much more dramatic procedures" took place. The couple was accused of abusing eight of their ten children, with the two eldest receiving the facts first. The court is committed to elucidating the incidents that occurred in the family home after rejecting Bertrand Hennes, the father's attorney, request for a private hearing. This upholds the desire of prosecutor Virginie Valton to "raise awareness of our fellow citizens" to what may occur in the "secret of the houses," and supports the prosecutor's goal of doing so.

The magistrate remarked, in reference to the appearance of Bryan, one of the couple's sons, in the program "Touche pas à my job," that "what is said on a TV set does not necessarily reflect reality.". At the end of the summer of 2022, following yet another incident, the 21-year-old young man reported the violent acts the siblings had experienced to the police and later to the media.

Together with his brothers and sisters, he has become the new face of abused childhood due to his numerous interviews. While the president reads the summary of the case, the description of the arrival of police officers from the Lens police station at the family home is particularly striking. A mother who has known the homes and an illiterate father.

According to Bryan's report, when they disembark, they find two young girls, ages 5 and 2 and a half, who are "dirty," with "soiled" diapers and "solidly attached to a high chair.". To loosen the ties, the mother must cut them "with scissors.".

Through Simon Gilot's words, another image appears: that of a policeman who is startled by an 8-year-old boy's smile and finds that he has only black teeth. The two parents, who are being tried for "violence without incapacity on a minor of 15 years by an ascendant" and "subtraction by a parent from his legal obligations," sit raptly at the bar and pay attention to the litany of the allegations against them as well as the less than flattering portrayal of their relationship.

Christine, 41, a slender woman with long platinum blond hair, visible roots, and worn-out features, spent time in foster care and a home from the time she was 7 to 18 years old. She "never brushes her teeth" and keeps herself disorganized in front of her kids because she is a stay-at-home mother.

Marc, her 44-year-old husband, is ten years older. "Neither read nor write" is a skill that this short, white-haired man possesses.

He comes from a "large family," and his line of work is "vehicle maintenance.". The family rides in a cart since no one in the group has a driver's license.

If the refrigerator is constantly stocked, the house's cleanliness could use some improvement. Most significantly, some of the elders tell the investigators about a violent daily existence in which insults and blows are frequently delivered "with fists," "with belt," and even "with helmet.".

Other kids talk about "spankings," but they also talk about "hugs" and "kisses.". A trial inside a trial When asked to defend themselves, the parents acknowledge the taunts, including "homophobes" directed at the older, and spankings, but they deny "beatings.".

They claim that the "slaps" on the thighs and hands have evolved into "cliques.". The father explains, "We were overburdened and exhausted.".

The mother admits that for "several weeks," she had been sleeping her two young daughters in high chairs, where they occasionally stayed seated during the day as well. Neurofibromatosis, a serious pathology that causes extreme hyperactivity in children, is the cause of the 5-year-old's condition.

The couple has a second child who suffers from the Chiari malformation, which affects the cerebellum and necessitates frequent doctor visits. Christine mumbles while her hands are restrained, "It was due to fatigue, I couldn't take it any longer, I was physically and morally exhausted.".

"I don't know why we didn't take action earlier. There is no way for us to dispute it.

The suffering is present right now. "If we had been supported by the big ones..", the father argues before Christine, a mother accused of abusing her children in front of the criminal court in Béthune.

Social services are quite familiar with the family. 2013 saw the release of the first report, and 2016 saw the release of a second.

After the eldest's retractions, a judicial investigation was started, but it resulted in a classification without further investigation. A third report was not followed up on in 2019.

April 2022 saw the arrival of the fourth, just before the incident started. Due to the parents' lack of "collaboration," the follow-up was discontinued.

The social and judicial institutions are being put through a trial inside a trial. When it comes to child protection, the prosecutor jumps into action: "Social services came to make visits and met the attending physician.

The latter explained to them that although he occasionally dropped by unexpectedly, he had never seen anything out of the ordinary. Christine asserts that she "signed a contract with social services" for assistance, saying, "We were worse before.".

When unexpected visitors arrive, she claims that the door is always closed, but she does acknowledge having a fear that her kids will be "taken away" from her: "I was a child in care, and my first foster family was hell. The placement, on the other hand, was a lifesaver for her 13-year-old daughter, Mélanie*.

The teenager, with her long Venetian blond hair, attractive face, and large gray shawl wrapped around her shoulders, undermines the parental version with these words: "When we are placed, we do not get insulted for everything and nothing, we take care of we can go out. While asserting that she was not the direct target of physical abuse, Mélanie confirms that the brothers' boys received "punches." I dance; I see my friends; I see my girlfriends.

She is adamant about how challenging it is to speak up for abused children. "Yes, I did, and when I first learned that I was going to be placed, I knew that I was safe, so I was able to say what I had gone through. At first, I defended them [his parents].

"Mélanie *, the couple's child, appears before the Béthune criminal court She declares she does not wish to see her parents again, who are positioned directly behind her. The 17-year-old big brother of the girl, Maxime*, screams at his mother, "You say you're tired but when the little ones were sleeping, what did you do at night?" with the same icy rage. "Why have so many children when you don't know how to take care of them.".

The blonde boy turns to face the court and says, "I saw her playing on the phone and smoking cigarettes at 4 in the morning. m.

Bryan, who has already spent time behind bars, explains that he repeated the pattern of violence to which he was exposed. He describes his mother's response to his question, "Why are you so hard on us?" as being profoundly moving: "We were worse before.".

Attorney Rodolphe Costantino has devoted his career to the "sad specialty" of abuse that is repeated over many generations. The advice of the association Childhood and Sharing, a civil party in the case, stings. "These cases, I have been pleading them now for thirty years, I sometimes admit to you that I have the impression that we are pissing in a violin,".

Another one was pleaded in the "Drancy case" (Seine-Saint-Denis) 18 years ago, "the prosecutor responds in her arguments. She demanded, in addition to the two years of suspended prison, an obligation of care for the parents, the prohibition to come into contact with their minor children, and a course in parental responsibility because she believed that the harm to the children was "indisputable" even though they were "not yet visible on this date" - the medical examiner's findings during the investigation found no evidence of physical violence.

"The 'house of horror' had an exaggerated name, there's no doubt about that, but there's no denying that for the kids, life was a horror, every day. "Virginie Valton, prosecutor in front of the Béthune criminal courtThe mother's attorney, Charlotte Fleutrie, asks the court to keep "the door open to the resumption of ties between parents and children," pointing out that the young ones "demand their mother" and guaranteeing that there have "also been moments of joy in this family.".

For the first time, the accused admits to feeling some emotion as she wipes away a few tears. He emphasizes his advice by saying, "We have parents who have not learned to be parents," and requests a "fair and personalized" punishment for his client.

Charlotte Fleurie accuses some in the room of coming "to look for the little story, which will sell, please public opinion," directing her criticism at the press and child protection association benches. "As for me, I've come here to ask for justice from you.

".

She demanded, in addition to the two years of suspended prison, an obligation of care for the parents, the prohibition to come into contact with their minor children, and a course in parental responsibility because she believed that the harm to the children was "indisputable" even though they were "not yet visible on this date" - the medical examiner's findings during the investigation found no evidence of physical violence.