The French government is scrambling to contain a firestorm of public anger after a leaked police file revealed that the prime suspect in the brutal murder of a 12-year-old girl had a long criminal record, raising questions about why he was free to kill again. The document, obtained by this newspaper from a source within the Paris prosecutor’s office, details at least five prior convictions for violent offences, including assault and sexual battery. The suspect, identified as 34-year-old Rachid D.
, had been released from prison just months before the child’s body was found in a suburban park on the outskirts of Lyon. The leak has ignited fury across the Channel, with British politicians and press demanding answers. “This is a catastrophic failure of the system,” said a Home Office official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“How many more children must die before France gets its house in order?” The scandal is the latest blow to President Macron’s government, which has faced mounting criticism over its handling of crime and justice. Internal emails, seen by this reporter, show that the justice ministry was warned about Rachid D.
’s risk of reoffending but failed to act. A former judge, who asked not to be named, described the case as “a ticking time bomb that the authorities chose to ignore”. The leak itself is likely to trigger a political crisis.
The source, a junior clerk in the prosecutor’s office, claims they acted out of “moral duty” after seeing the police reports. “They knew he was dangerous,” the clerk said. “But they did nothing.
Now a child is dead.” The French interior minister has ordered an inquiry into the leak, but critics say the real investigation should be into the system that allowed a repeat offender to walk the streets. For the family of the victim, the disclosure is a bitter irony.
“We were told there were no prior signs of violence,” said the girl’s father, his voice breaking. “Now we find out that the man who took our daughter’s life was a known predator. The state has blood on its hands.
” The case echoes previous scandals in France, where convicted criminals have been freed only to commit heinous crimes. In 2022, a similar failure led to the murder of a young woman by a man with a history of sexual offences. That case prompted promises of reform, but little changed.
Now, with the leaked file sparking street protests in Lyon and Paris, the pressure is on Macron to act. But as sources inside the Elysée Palace acknowledge, the damage may already be done. France’s justice system is broken, and the public knows it.
The only question is how many more children will pay the price.
