Babes-in-freezer trial grips France
BBC: A verdict is due this week in “the babes in the freezer” case, in which a French mother is accused of murdering three of her children. BBC Paris correspondent Emma Jane Kirby reports on the mixture of horror and sympathy that the story has aroused.
When 41-year-old Veronique Courjault took the stand last week in the courtroom in Tours, she was described by all the newspapers here as looking “fragile”, “sad” and “pale”.
In almost every report there was a tone of pity – a far cry from the initial reactions of disgust and horror that met the original unveiling of her shocking story in the summer of 2006.
Veronique Courjault, who already has two teenage sons, initially denied any connection to the bodies found in her freezer, but after DNA tests proved she and her husband were the natural parents, she admitted suffocating the two infants in Koreas in 2002 and 2003.
She also admitted killing and burning the body of a third baby she bore in France in 1999.
In statements to the police, she claimed: “I decided straight away not to keep the baby I was carrying.”
In the run-up to her trial, it seems that every leading pregnancy expert in France has been interviewed by the media – and suddenly people here are no longer talking about premeditated murder, they are talking about an intriguing psychological condition called pregnancy denial.
Here is a mother who clearly stated she did not want to keep the baby she was carrying. She killed 3 babies after birth and hid the evidence from her husband. Then she and the media have the public seeing her as the victim of “pregnancy denial”.
Comment by Dave — Thu 18th June 2009 @ 11:07 am
This is very interesting considering this is a predominately catholic country and the constraints that that particular religion put on things like abolition and ‘pro-life’.
I would be very concerned if she gets away with anything other than murder.
Comment by John (Doe ;) — Thu 18th June 2009 @ 10:35 pm
she got 8 years, will be out in 2. lesson here guys is if you’re up for anything serious, forget lawyers – have a sex change!
Comment by timpo — Fri 19th June 2009 @ 12:54 pm
lol Timpo
Comment by Scott B — Fri 19th June 2009 @ 1:24 pm
Yeah, and she is looking forward to reuniting with her other children. Blimey isn’t she lucky to be female? Not only that, through all this she has been totally supported by her (male) partner, who has lost three of his kids. Speaks volumes……imagine a gender reversal here….
Comment by glenn — Fri 19th June 2009 @ 1:54 pm
‘Merde’……
Comment by John (Doe ;) — Fri 19th June 2009 @ 11:08 pm