February 01, 2021: The Assize Court of Reims welcomes the trial of Loic Vantal and Caroline Létoile, tried for the death of little Tony, in 2016. -

V. VANTIGHEM

  • Tony, just over three years old, died in Reims in November 2016 after being repeatedly beaten by his stepfather.

  • Convicted seven times for acts of violence, Loïc Vantal admitted the facts at the opening of the assize trial, at the end of which he faces a 30-year prison sentence.

  • Caroline Létoile, Tony's mother, denies having been guilty of "non-assistance to anyone in danger".

    She appears free and risks 5 years in prison.

At the Assize Court of Marne, in Reims,

If it were not to shed light on the dramatic circumstances of the death of a child, the situation would almost give rise to a smile ... The Marne Assize Court still spent a good part of the day, this Wednesday, to look for qualities in Loïc Vantal.

Packed at the bottom of his box, the young man of 28 years appears, since Monday, for an abominable series of violence which resulted in the death of little Tony, 3 years old, in November 2016 in Reims.

And so far, he has only had the opportunity to say six words: "Well ... Yes ... I admit the facts ..."

So it is the others who speak for him.

And especially of him.

Such as Laure-Emmanuelle Richard, the personality investigator.

Called to the bar in the afternoon, she therefore has the right to question the "qualities" of the accused.

Long silence of reflection.

And then all of a sudden… “Yes!

One of his former companions explained that Loïc Vantal was "shy"… "she blurted out.

Immediately, she realizes the incongruity of his answer but does not take it down.

“'Shy' may not be a quality,” she continues.

But it's always more positive than the rest ... ”Certainly.

"He's not devastated by Tony's death…"

Former companions, parents or experts: all of them have indeed painted a grim portrait of the accused.

Apocalyptic even.

There was Thiffanie, with whom he had a little girl: “She's a monster, actually.

When I sent him a picture of the ultrasound.

He replied that I could die in hell with my child.

"Naomie, too:" A womanizer.

He consumed a lot of alcohol.

And he smoked cannabis all the time… He got angry easily.

The personality expert: “He had his first relationship at 11.

He had been obsessed with sex ever since.

Even his own mother does not recognize in him "any quality."

At the end of the day, it was Hugues Collin, the psychiatrist, who came to the bar to put the finishing touches to this gloomy picture.

“He likes to make fun of his conquests.

He is immature.

He has psychopathic personality traits ... "Because Loïc Vantal admits having raised his hand on little Tony.

"He is not devastated by his death," continues the expert.

He is especially offended by the damage that this has brought to his image ... "

For him Tony was a rival

The worst thing is that, put end to end, the analyzes of the various experts suggest that the accused with the shaved hair thought he was acting for the good.

“He explained that Tony was unmanageable, that he had no framework, that he insulted his mother, continues Laure-Emmanuelle Richard.

This is why he decided to intervene in the education of the child, with authority… ”

Except that Loïc Vantal does not have the same notion of "authority" as ordinary people.

He was educated "with a hammer in the mouth by an alcoholic father", continues the psychiatrist.

He does not therefore speak of violence towards Tony, but of "educational spanking".

And we understand why the doctors unfortunately noted more than 150 traces of blows.

"He is scary when he says: 'I slap him, he falls to the ground, he has a nosebleed, he gets up, I put two straight lines on him ..." "It remains to be seen why?

And on this subject, the psychiatrist also has an explanation: “He regarded Tony as a rival.

Like a “nuisance” in his relationship with Caroline Létoile.

"

Because he was in love with Tony's mother like he had never been in love before.

To the point of losing my mind.

The proof ?

A few months after the death of the little boy, while he was imprisoned, he sincerely explained that he still had the project to get back into a relationship with her.

And… to have a child.

Without doubt forgetting a little quickly that he risks a sentence of thirty years of criminal imprisonment.

The verdict is expected to be known on Friday.

Follow the rest of this trial on our journalist's Twitter account: @vvantighem

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