2023-11-29 20:36:00
The Assize Court of Walloon Brabant withdrew shortly before 7 p.m. on Wednesday to deliberate on the case of Kévin Deffense, who is accused of having tortured and inflicted inhumane treatment on his five-year-old goddaughter in July 2021 in Genappe. Denying since the beginning of the case that he had voluntarily plunged the girl into a bath of hot water, the accused, when saying a last word, continued in his line by affirming that it was an accident. In a long speech alternating between moments of anger and tears, he also attacked the attorney general, and the doctors who denounced acts of willful mistreatment.
“I can lie,” he repeated several times during this long last word, clearly annoyed that the attorney general had clarified during his requisitions that the accused might lie and even had an interest in doing so. The accused said he was shocked to have learned that his six-year-old son had been interviewed by the police without the presence of an adult and also contested the care provided to the victim, who remained there for three months. hospital following burns. However, he thanked the medical profession for having saved the little girl and repeated that he would blame himself for the rest of his life for having lacked attention and left the victim alone in her bath. He repeated that he would never have hurt her and that it was an accident.
During the day, the defense lawyers pleaded for the acquittal of their client, relaying the statements of Kévin Deffense who claims that the little victim was accidentally burned. “The innocent often defend themselves much more poorly than the guilty, out of fear or the desire to answer everything,” explained the Genappian’s advice, conceding that their client had a little “Smurf with glasses” side which might sometimes be annoying.
But for them, given the personality of the accused – unanimously described by those close to him as a good man, loving children, always calm – it is impossible that Kévin Deffense committed the acts for which he is accused. Believing that there is not really any objective evidence in the case establishing that their client is guilty, they reminded the jurors at length that doubt should benefit the accused.
During the replies, the attorney general and the lawyer for the civil parties pointed out to the jurors that the defense had carefully avoided explaining why the victim had “donut” burns, which according to all the doctors constituted traces of intentional abuse, showing that the child was forcibly held in a bathtub of hot water.
The jurors will have to answer, during the deliberation which will probably continue late into the evening, nine questions on guilt.
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