The French government has announced disciplinary action against a magistrate and two gendarmerie officers over the handling of a suspect in child abuse case, which has lead to public outcry. This comes on the heels of a report which pointed to serious failings of the justice system, particularly with regards to minors.
Issued on: 23/06/2026 - RFI
France's Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu (L) stands next to France's Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin during a meeting in Paris on 5 June 2026. AFP - SIMON WOHLFAHRT
French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin on Monday said an administrative inquiry would be launched against the prosecutor of the southern city of Auch (Gers) over the handling of complaints and reports of rape and child abuse targeting Jérôme Barella.
The prosecutor in question was tasked with handling the complaint filed in August 2025 by the mother of 11 year-old Rosa, who alleged she had been raped approximately fifty times by Barella.
Barella, who had never been questioned until now, is also the main suspect in the disappearance of 11-year-old Lyhanna, who was found dead earlier this month.
The conclusion of the government report released on Monday found that the 2025 complaint "was not treated as a priority" and, despite its "sensitive nature," "was not directed to the correct gendarmerie department."
The investigation was carried out by the services of the General Inspectorates of Justice (IGJ) and the National Gendarmerie (IGGN).
Upon reading the report, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu wrote on social media that "the protection chain failed", adding that it was "neither a simple administrative malfunction, nor or a lack of resources".
The report, based on around 30 interviews, highlights a series of failures that allowed Barella to avoid prosecution, despite rape cases filed against him months earlier.
Repeated errors in handling of rape case linked to French girl's death: report
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said the investigation director and the company commander involved in the case, would be transferred and placed in jobs "outside the remit of the judicial police".
As part of the response to the Lyhanna affair, Darmanin had asked the public prosecutors to review by all 70,000 complaints concerning abuse of children by 14 July.
"We have 1,243 people taken into custody in the past week who are directly related to offenses against minors," Darmanin explained to TF1 television, adding that 134 of them were in pre-trial detention for sexual violence.
"There is a before and an after" Lyhanna, he promised.
Darmanin, however, once again sidestepped a question about his potential resignation, a move called for by several opposition leaders.
He reiterated that he had given directives to prosecutors to prioritise cases involving offenses against individuals – particularly child sexual abuse – and that these directives had not been implemented.
Political pressure
Magistrates' unions, for their part, raised concerns about the resources allocated to a judicial system that, in their view, is overwhelmed by the sheer volume of cases.
Darmanin also took aim at the "technological lag" of the justice ministry, due to budget restrictions and promised to scan everything "with the help of artificial intelligence" to help speed up the processing of court documentation.
Lyhanna's death continues to fuel a series of public protests demanding better protection for victims of sexual and gender-based violence.
Hunting paedophiles online: the legal grey area occupied by internet vigilantes
As campaigning begins a year out from the presidential election, political leaders are putting forward their proposals. From mandatory chemical castration, advocated by Bruno Retailleau (LR), to increased funding for the justice system, championed by the left.
There are "perhaps" individual responsibilities, but the justice system is "in an untenable situation," commented Marine Tondelier, leader of the Greens, while the far-right National Rally party's Sébastien Chenu lamented that "Gérald Darmanin is still in office."
The government is under pressure to pass legislation addressing the urgent situation: a so-called "comprehensive" law of 78 articles, supported by the left and the governing coalition.
Lecornu reiterated his intention to prioritise strengthening the child protection bill "at an upcoming cabinet meeting."
(with newswires)
French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin on Monday said an administrative inquiry would be launched against the prosecutor of the southern city of Auch (Gers) over the handling of complaints and reports of rape and child abuse targeting Jérôme Barella.
The prosecutor in question was tasked with handling the complaint filed in August 2025 by the mother of 11 year-old Rosa, who alleged she had been raped approximately fifty times by Barella.
Barella, who had never been questioned until now, is also the main suspect in the disappearance of 11-year-old Lyhanna, who was found dead earlier this month.
The conclusion of the government report released on Monday found that the 2025 complaint "was not treated as a priority" and, despite its "sensitive nature," "was not directed to the correct gendarmerie department."
The investigation was carried out by the services of the General Inspectorates of Justice (IGJ) and the National Gendarmerie (IGGN).
Upon reading the report, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu wrote on social media that "the protection chain failed", adding that it was "neither a simple administrative malfunction, nor or a lack of resources".
The report, based on around 30 interviews, highlights a series of failures that allowed Barella to avoid prosecution, despite rape cases filed against him months earlier.
Repeated errors in handling of rape case linked to French girl's death: report
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said the investigation director and the company commander involved in the case, would be transferred and placed in jobs "outside the remit of the judicial police".
As part of the response to the Lyhanna affair, Darmanin had asked the public prosecutors to review by all 70,000 complaints concerning abuse of children by 14 July.
"We have 1,243 people taken into custody in the past week who are directly related to offenses against minors," Darmanin explained to TF1 television, adding that 134 of them were in pre-trial detention for sexual violence.
"There is a before and an after" Lyhanna, he promised.
Darmanin, however, once again sidestepped a question about his potential resignation, a move called for by several opposition leaders.
He reiterated that he had given directives to prosecutors to prioritise cases involving offenses against individuals – particularly child sexual abuse – and that these directives had not been implemented.
Political pressure
Magistrates' unions, for their part, raised concerns about the resources allocated to a judicial system that, in their view, is overwhelmed by the sheer volume of cases.
Darmanin also took aim at the "technological lag" of the justice ministry, due to budget restrictions and promised to scan everything "with the help of artificial intelligence" to help speed up the processing of court documentation.
Lyhanna's death continues to fuel a series of public protests demanding better protection for victims of sexual and gender-based violence.
Hunting paedophiles online: the legal grey area occupied by internet vigilantes
As campaigning begins a year out from the presidential election, political leaders are putting forward their proposals. From mandatory chemical castration, advocated by Bruno Retailleau (LR), to increased funding for the justice system, championed by the left.
There are "perhaps" individual responsibilities, but the justice system is "in an untenable situation," commented Marine Tondelier, leader of the Greens, while the far-right National Rally party's Sébastien Chenu lamented that "Gérald Darmanin is still in office."
The government is under pressure to pass legislation addressing the urgent situation: a so-called "comprehensive" law of 78 articles, supported by the left and the governing coalition.
Lecornu reiterated his intention to prioritise strengthening the child protection bill "at an upcoming cabinet meeting."
(with newswires)
Repeated errors in handling of rape case linked to French girl's death: report
An administrative investigation ordered after the death of 11 year-old Lyhanna in southern France has revealed serious failings in how a previous rape complaint against the main suspect was handled. The case has brought the French judicial and police system under stark scrutiny, especially regarding cases of child abuse.
Issued on: 22/06/2026 - RFI
An administrative investigation ordered after the death of 11 year-old Lyhanna in southern France has revealed serious failings in how a previous rape complaint against the main suspect was handled. The case has brought the French judicial and police system under stark scrutiny, especially regarding cases of child abuse.
Issued on: 22/06/2026 - RFI
Flowers and balloons left at the end of a rally in memory 11-year-old Lyhanna, in Saint-Jean d'Angely, south-western France, 9 June 2026. © Romain Perrocheau/AFP
An investigation by the services of the General Inspectorates of Justice (IGJ) and the National Gendarmerie (IGGN) was delivered Monday morning to Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu.
Upon reading the report, Lecornu wrote on social media that "the protection chain failed", adding that it was "neither a simple administrative malfunction, nor or a lack of resources".
The report, based on around 30 interviews, highlights a series of failures that allowed Jérôme Barella, the main suspect in the disappearance and death of 11-year-old Lyhanna, to avoid prosecution, despite rape cases filed against him months earlier.
Lyhanna disappeared in the town of Fleurance in southwestern France on 29 May, and her body was found six days later in an abandoned grain silo.
Barella, who has been charged with abduction and unlawfully confining a minor, is being held in pre-trial detention. The cause of death has not yet been officially established.
Mother sues French state over daughter's rape case as public anger grows
The report focuses on a complaint filed in August 2025 by the mother of a 10-year-old girl who alleged that Barella had raped her daughter several times between September 2024 and May 2025 at his home.
Barella had still not been questioned by police when Lyhanna went missing nine months later.
The complaint "was not treated as a priority procedure" in the Gers, the head of France’s General Inspectorate of Justice, Stéphane Noël, said Monday, referring to the department where Barella resided.
The complaint was initially filed in Toulouse, where Barella was identified as the alleged perpetrator, and it was transferred to prosecutors in Auch, the capital of the neighbouring Gers department.
In his presentation of the report to the government, Noël pointed to a number of failures that resulted in lengthy delays in the investigation.
'Bureaucratic loop'
"The report identifies an accumulation of wasted time and a lack of procedure follow-up, both by the prosecutor’s office and the gendarmerie once the case arrived at the Auch prosecutor’s office," he said.
According to the report, the case was caught in a bureaucratic loop, travelling back and forth between Toulouse and Auch.
Jean-Michel Gentil, head of the General Inspectorate of the National Gendarmerie, said the complaint was handled in Toulouse in a way that was "appropriate, diligent and of good quality".
Children in danger 'not heard' in France, rights lawyer warns after Lyhanna death
However, once the case reached Auch, "the criminal investigation was treated as an ordinary procedure or, at the very least, was not treated as a priority case", said Noël.
Investigators had requested that Barella be placed in police custody and questioned. However, Noël said "the investigation was not sufficiently directed and not at all controlled".
As a result, Barella was neither interviewed nor detained before Lyhanna's abduction.
The abduction and murder of Lyhanna have prompted national outrage and re-ignited criticisms of the way France's handles child abuse complaints.
Wave of public anger
More investigations are underway, but the report could lead to consequences for individual prosecutors and investigators.
"When professional misconduct is established... no one would understand if it were not sanctioned," Darmanin wrote in a letter sent last week to France's roughly 10,000 magistrates, which also reaffirmed his "deep attachment" to judicial independence.
He had drawn criticism from judges after pointing to individual failings right after Lyhanna's death, before the inspection mission had completed its work.
An investigation by the services of the General Inspectorates of Justice (IGJ) and the National Gendarmerie (IGGN) was delivered Monday morning to Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu.
Upon reading the report, Lecornu wrote on social media that "the protection chain failed", adding that it was "neither a simple administrative malfunction, nor or a lack of resources".
The report, based on around 30 interviews, highlights a series of failures that allowed Jérôme Barella, the main suspect in the disappearance and death of 11-year-old Lyhanna, to avoid prosecution, despite rape cases filed against him months earlier.
Lyhanna disappeared in the town of Fleurance in southwestern France on 29 May, and her body was found six days later in an abandoned grain silo.
Barella, who has been charged with abduction and unlawfully confining a minor, is being held in pre-trial detention. The cause of death has not yet been officially established.
Mother sues French state over daughter's rape case as public anger grows
The report focuses on a complaint filed in August 2025 by the mother of a 10-year-old girl who alleged that Barella had raped her daughter several times between September 2024 and May 2025 at his home.
Barella had still not been questioned by police when Lyhanna went missing nine months later.
The complaint "was not treated as a priority procedure" in the Gers, the head of France’s General Inspectorate of Justice, Stéphane Noël, said Monday, referring to the department where Barella resided.
The complaint was initially filed in Toulouse, where Barella was identified as the alleged perpetrator, and it was transferred to prosecutors in Auch, the capital of the neighbouring Gers department.
In his presentation of the report to the government, Noël pointed to a number of failures that resulted in lengthy delays in the investigation.
'Bureaucratic loop'
"The report identifies an accumulation of wasted time and a lack of procedure follow-up, both by the prosecutor’s office and the gendarmerie once the case arrived at the Auch prosecutor’s office," he said.
According to the report, the case was caught in a bureaucratic loop, travelling back and forth between Toulouse and Auch.
Jean-Michel Gentil, head of the General Inspectorate of the National Gendarmerie, said the complaint was handled in Toulouse in a way that was "appropriate, diligent and of good quality".
Children in danger 'not heard' in France, rights lawyer warns after Lyhanna death
However, once the case reached Auch, "the criminal investigation was treated as an ordinary procedure or, at the very least, was not treated as a priority case", said Noël.
Investigators had requested that Barella be placed in police custody and questioned. However, Noël said "the investigation was not sufficiently directed and not at all controlled".
As a result, Barella was neither interviewed nor detained before Lyhanna's abduction.
The abduction and murder of Lyhanna have prompted national outrage and re-ignited criticisms of the way France's handles child abuse complaints.
Wave of public anger
More investigations are underway, but the report could lead to consequences for individual prosecutors and investigators.
"When professional misconduct is established... no one would understand if it were not sanctioned," Darmanin wrote in a letter sent last week to France's roughly 10,000 magistrates, which also reaffirmed his "deep attachment" to judicial independence.
He had drawn criticism from judges after pointing to individual failings right after Lyhanna's death, before the inspection mission had completed its work.
Protesters hold placards and chant slogans during an unauthorised demonstration at Place Vendome outside the French Justice Ministry in Paris on June 8, 2026, at the call of the Mouv'Enfants collective and other organisations, to demand a law against violence on minors, following the death of Lyhanna, an 11-year-old girl found dead on June 4 after being reported missing on 29 May 2026. AFP - GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT
Lyhanna's death continues to fuel a wave of demonstrations calling for stronger protection for victims of sexual and gender-based violence, and the government is under pressure to respond.
Thousands of demonstrators have been gathering every Monday evening outside the Justice Ministry and in cities across France, demanding stronger protections for children and a more comprehensive approach to investigations into allegations.
Lecornu on Monday reiterated his intention to introduce a number of measures, including strengthening a child protection bill that is expected to be presented at an upcoming cabinet meeting, which would make it mandatory for investigators to start to investigate all child rape complaints within the first three months after they are filed.
The proposals would would also allow serial rapists of minors to be sentenced to life imprisonment.
(with newswires)
Lyhanna's death continues to fuel a wave of demonstrations calling for stronger protection for victims of sexual and gender-based violence, and the government is under pressure to respond.
Thousands of demonstrators have been gathering every Monday evening outside the Justice Ministry and in cities across France, demanding stronger protections for children and a more comprehensive approach to investigations into allegations.
Lecornu on Monday reiterated his intention to introduce a number of measures, including strengthening a child protection bill that is expected to be presented at an upcoming cabinet meeting, which would make it mandatory for investigators to start to investigate all child rape complaints within the first three months after they are filed.
The proposals would would also allow serial rapists of minors to be sentenced to life imprisonment.
(with newswires)
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