Thirty-nine years after a young girl’s body was discovered along the A10 motorway, psychiatric experts clashed at the Blois assize court over whether Halima El Bakhti’s psychological state diminishes her criminal responsibility for the child’s death.
As the trial of the parents of Inass, known as the “petite martyre de l’A10”, reaches its final stages, the court is grappling with the difficulty of evaluating the mental state of the accused mother, now 72, nearly four decades after the events occurred.
Psychiatrists and psychologists testified regarding the psychological mechanisms of El Bakhti, who is charged with acts of torture and barbarity resulting in the death of her four-year-old daughter in 1987. Experts explored her history of migration from Morocco to France in 1982, a period she described as a déracinement
(uprooting).
Psychologist Valérie Ritzenthaler noted that El Bakhti perceived the arrival of Inass—who was initially left with her grandmother in Morocco before being brought to France—as a source of suffering.
According to expert testimony, El Bakhti may have interpreted the child’s difficulties in adapting to her new environment as a personal agression
or a challenge to her identity as a mother.
Dr. Dominique Provost characterized Inass’s behavior at the time as symptoms of a difficulté de réattachement
(difficulty of re-attachment). Experts suggested that El Bakhti’s reaction was marked by immaturité
and that the child’s presence may have réactivé ses propres souffrances
related to her own migration.
During her testimony, El Bakhti struggled to explain the injuries inflicted upon her daughter, including numerous fractures and bite marks. While she admitted to slapping the child, she repeatedly told the court, Je ne me rappelle pas
(I do not remember), when questioned about the more severe physical trauma.
When asked by the presiding judge what life had been like for Inass, El Bakhti replied, Elle n’a vécu rien à part le cauchemar.
In parallel, the court examined the role of the father, Ahmed Touloub, who is charged with complicity. Experts noted that while he appeared lucide et conscient de ses actes
during previous assessments, he admitted to the court that he remained silent regarding the abuse out of lâcheté
(cowardice).
Forensic experts described him as falling within the large spectre de la normalité
(broad spectrum of normality), noting that individuals without marked personality disorders can still be involved in extreme criminal cases.
