A woman who was the victim of a violent husband stood trial in Chalon-sur-Saône, eastern France. She eventually murdered him after he raped her for many years and forced her into prostitution. In France, this is a closely watched trial, which has led to a petition for the liberation of a woman. The process is to last until Friday.
Valerie Bacot killed her husband five years ago. According to the AFP agency, she is now facing life imprisonment. More than 60,000 French people have signed a petition calling for freedom for the tortured defendant.
According to her own accounts, Bacot’s man abused him for several decades. She described her hardships in the recently published book Tout le monde savait (Everyone knew it). The then lover of her mother allegedly raped her as a 12-year-old girl. The man was convicted, but returned to his family after leaving prison.
At the age of 17, Bacot became pregnant, and while her mother rejected her, she was forced to marry her tormentor, who was 25 years older. Bacot said in court that the man threatened her with a gun and forced her into prostitution. Finally, in order to protect their common daughter, she fired a bullet into his neck.
The appalling case in France is often compared to a similar case by Jacqueline Sauvage, who is considered a symbol of victims of domestic violence. After 47 years of marriage, Sauvage shot her violent husband in September 2012, for which she was sentenced to 10 years in prison. She and her three daughters testified that the man had been abusing them for years. The case provoked heated debate and protests, and in 2016 French President François Hollande pardoned her.
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