A 22-year-old woman was subjected to a brutal assault during her regular jogging trip in a wooded area in the French city of Saint-Brieuc on June 15. The perpetrator approached her and ordered her to undress. When the woman refused, he stabbed her repeatedly with a knife – once in the arm and once in the stomach – before fleeing the scene.

Police were able to arrest a person who matched the victim’s description after eight days. A knife consistent with the one used in the attack was also found. During interrogation, the suspect confessed to the crime.

Initially, authorities stated that the perpetrator was only ten years old. Due to the low age, no criminal penalty could be imposed according to French law. Instead, the court decided on a mild educational measure: a nighttime curfew and a ban on contacting the victim.

The Age Was a Lie

However, the prosecutor’s office in Saint-Brieuc quickly became suspicious of the reported age and the identification documents presented. A bone examination was carried out, and the result shows that the suspect is not a ten-year-old child – he is at least 14 years old.

The man is a Congolese migrant who arrived in France about a year ago. The new age determination means that he now risks much more serious legal consequences, including detention and an actual prison sentence. The investigating judge can now refer the case to the judge for matters of liberty to increase the severity of measures.

The case again highlights a recurring problem in Europe: migrants who state a false, lower age to avoid responsibility for serious crimes. By pretending to be younger than they are, they can expect more lenient treatment from the justice system – something that in practice protects perpetrators at the expense of victims.

This is far from an isolated incident. Just two days after the assault in Saint-Brieuc, on June 17, a 14-year-old in Villeurbanne tried to drag a young woman into the bushes in Feyssine Park in order to rape her. The woman managed to scare him off by screaming, but even there the perpetrator was apprehended after violently resisting and injuring a police officer. He was also later released under supervision.