This is a case that has dragged on since 2016, the time when the facts go back. In Reims, on November 26, 2016, the firefighters were called in an emergency by Caroline Létoile, the mother of little Tony, who told rescuers that her 3-year-old child has "lost consciousness following a fall ". 19 years old at the time of the facts, she will add that her companion, Loïc Vantal, 24, is in the habit of "to slap" to his son, as our colleagues from the 20 minutes. The investigation will indeed prove that the little boy was, the short-lived of his young stepfather. Taken to the University Hospital of Reims, little Tony dies upon his arrival at the hospital ofrupture of the spleen and pancreas, as reported by his autopsy. After having denied several times having struck the child, Loïc Vantal confessed to having hit the young boy on several occasions as soon as he moved into his partner's apartment, as reported LCI.
Little Tony's case: a painful trial
This case of mistreatment upset the city of Reims: the inhabitants carried out a white march in memory of the little boy, shortly after his death, on November 30, 2016. Several associations, including The Voice of the Child, were indignant at the victim's lack of protection, especially since the accused, Loïc Vantal was convicted 7 times for acts of violence. Why Caroline Létoile, the mother of the young boy, did not try to protect her child? According to him, it was fear that prevented him from running away. "Fear does not justify everything. Investigation showed that she had had the opportunity to flee with her child on several occasions but did not do anything …", insisted during the trial Mr. Olivier Chalot, lawyer for the father of the child and the paternal grandmother.
Investigators pointed to the immaturity of the young mother, who is now being prosecuted for "non-denunciation of ill-treatment" and "no assistance to the person in danger" and risks 5 years imprisonment. Her companion, who would have had a real hold on her, according to the police, faces a 30-year prison sentence for "violence resulting in unintentional death on a 15-year-old minor" and "usual violence". The verdict of this sinister case should be known on the evening of Thursday, February 4, 2021.
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