Séverine Moulin, victim of rape during her childhood, fought for 14 years for justice to be done to her. On December 13, 2021, she finally got her executioner to be tried in the Assize Court: he was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment. Immediately imprisoned, the pedophile is released two months and nine days later. To this day, he is still at large, admittedly under judicial supervision, but without even having to wear an electronic bracelet. In this “Essential Interview“, Séverine testifies to our microphone of the years of ordeal she endured, of her endless and solitary legal battle for “Never touch a little girl again”and the deep distress in which the release of a criminal has plunged her, who, according to her, has claimed at least 11 victims.
This interview bears witness to the extreme loneliness experienced by victims of rape and sexual assault when they decide to fight in court. At all stages of the procedure, Séverine Moulin meets players in the judicial system who give her bad guidance, if at all.
She remains for years without being informed that her file is closed without further action, but that she can bring a civil action to relaunch it. When the gendarmes recommend him not to be a civil party from the start of his career, they are not wrong. It is often wise to wait for the prosecutor’s decision to prosecute or not to do so. The victim must still be informed of this decision! And as she struggles to find a lawyer involved in her case, no one is there to explain to her the procedure to follow.
Séverine also reminds us that a rape committed on a child is a serious crime, extremely destructive, and the consequences of which last over time. Rape shatters lives. As adults, many victims develop self-destructive behavior, severe depression, and have the greatest difficulty in convincing themselves that they deserve to be respected by others and by themselves. When a child has been treated as a thing, a body just fit to submit to adult pleasures, developing self-esteem is an obstacle course. Some even sometimes lose their lives in this fight. Séverine tells us, with great courage, how she attempted her own life on several occasions, how she fell into alcohol and drugs, how she was able to become a prostitute “because his body was worth nothing”.
She also wishes to emphasize how much her long legal battle has affected her health, moral and physical. Today, after rehab and years of therapy, she is better. Happy mother of an adorable little boy, she lives for him.
However, she confides that the release of her rapist, after a hard-fought conviction destroyed her. And terrifies her. She denounces the practice of courts which prematurely release heavily sentenced criminals. For the victims, releasing the perpetrator of these crimes constitutes unprecedented violence. And for our society, it’s a huge risk.