Françoise's husband physically assaulted her and tried to kill her on April 11.

She says that he suffocated her when she suffers from heart failure.

At the microphone of "La Libre antenna", Françoise confides being destroyed by the violence of her husband, now in prison.

TESTIMONY

Françoise and her husband had been in a relationship for ten years.

She says he had previously been psychologically and verbally abusive.

On April 11, he physically attacked her, hitting her and knocking her down.

He suffocated her by sitting on top of her, while she was suffering from heart failure.

Her husband was sentenced to three years in prison, one of which was suspended.

On "La Libre antenna", Françoise confides having forgiven her husband because she has faith, but says that it is over between them.

>> Listen to Françoise's testimony in full here

"On April 11, I suffered violence from my husband for the first time in my life. It traumatized me. He suffocated me. He had already been psychologically and verbally abusive, but not physically. . I live with my 16 and a half year old son. That Sunday my son went to his soccer training. That's when he acted. It traumatized me so much that I didn't don't know where I am I see a psychologist once a week.

"

I am completely destroyed

"

I filed a complaint. He is in prison. He was tried in immediate appearance. He was sentenced to three years in prison, including one year suspended. I am completely destroyed, although I have always been mentally strong. It's not going away, I can't seem to get rid of it. He suffocated me. I have heart failure. He knows it and he kept me from breathing. He sat on me from my stomach to my neck. I think he let go of me when he realized I was leaving. When he let go, I searched for my breath for long minutes, due to my heart failure. 

I managed to get out of the house, but he grabbed me by the arm and tried to pull me back into the apartment.

As he couldn't, he pushed me.

I fell head first onto the landing.

I had bumps and bruises.

I was all purplish.

It was the neighbors who saved me because when I was on the floor on the landing, he grabbed me by the ankles and dragged me on the floor to bring me back to the apartment.

That's when the neighbors stepped in.

They saw him do it.

If I had gone back to the apartment, I don't think I would be there anymore.

"

He kept saying in front of the judge that I had done this to myself

"

My therapist is helping me. I am surrounded by an association that fights against violence against women. I have to leave the apartment. We are looking for another one. He took steps from prison to terminate the lease. He also terminated the Internet. I don't understand what is going through his mind. I forgave him because I have faith, but I don't apologize for what he did. For me, it's over. I just wanted him to beg my forgiveness. 

I called on my childhood friend on the day of the assault.

She and her husband supported me.

My parents live in Africa, I am from Cameroon.

She does not apologize for his gesture.

He wrote to her telling her that he had hurt me and that he was going to pay.

Except that he did not recognize it in front of the investigators, nor in front of the judges on the day of the trial.

The medical examiner took pictures.

I had nine-centimeter bumps and bruises, but he kept telling the judge that I had done this to myself.

>> Find Olivier Delacroix's Libre antenna every evening on Europe 1 from 10:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. as well as in replay and podcast here

His family is harassing me. When I called them to tell them what had happened. They said, 'He can't do that, he's not a violent man.' He did, I didn't hurt myself. Physically, he had never brutalized me, but he hasn't stopped doing it psychologically and verbally since we got together. We've been together for ten years. I feel guilty for bringing my son to this house. I have no children with him. He was previously married and had three children. It ended because there was this kind of thing. I only found out later.

His family is harassing me because they want to get his things back. I do not know what to do. My lawyer called me to tell me to give them whatever they want. I thought they wanted clothes because I always gave them for him to change. They want I don't know what papers. I've been sorting out since he's been in jail. I never went through his things. I had lost some documents which I found in his belongings. He had hidden them. I'm gonna move out of town, but he knows where I'm working. I'm not even sure he'll spend two years in jail. "