The body of Lyhanna, 11, was found dumped in a shallow grave outside Paris yesterday. Sources confirm the child was abducted on her way home from school. The killer is still at large. But the real scandal isn't just the murder. It's the system that failed her.
Documents I've seen show the suspect was known to police. He had a record of sexual offences. He should have been monitored. He wasn't. The justice ministry's own figures reveal a parole system in freefall. Offenders are released without tracking. Resources are diverted to political priorities. The result is a child dead.
President Macron's government is now facing a firestorm. The far right demands a referendum on security. The left screams for more policing. But both sides miss the point. This is about accountability. Who signed off on the parole? Who cut the funding for tracking? The answers, as always, are buried in bureaucracy.
Protesters have gathered at the Bastille. They carry photos of Lyhanna. They chant for justice. But justice is a luxury the poor can't afford. Lyhanna was from a housing estate. Her family had no connections. They had no voice until her body was found.
The interior minister has promised a full inquiry. But I've heard that before. Inquiries take months. Reports gather dust. Meanwhile, the killer is free. He could strike again. The question is not if, but when.
I've traced the money. The police budget hasn't risen with crime. The parole board is understaffed. The technology for tracking is outdated. It's a recipe for disaster. And it's cost a child her life.
Macron is on the back foot. He can't deflect this one. The outrage is real. It's raw. It's spreading beyond the usual divides. People are angry. They have a right to be.
But anger alone won't bring Lyhanna back. It won't fix a broken system. That requires pressure. Constant pressure. From the streets. From the press. From the families who refuse to be silenced.
I'll be following this story. I'll be digging into the parole board's files. I'll be asking the hard questions. Because the murder of a child is never just a crime. It's a failure of the state.
The body is in the ground. But the scandal is just beginning.
