Lionel Gougelot, edited by Yanis Darras 2:21 p.m., July 2, 2022, modified at 2:22 p.m., July 2, 2022
Dino Scala, nicknamed "the rapist of the Sambre" was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment by the North Assize Court.
The man, accused of having committed 56 rapes or sexual assaults, was found guilty in 54 of the 56 cases.
A relief for the victims, which leaves room for a certain frustration on the side of the lawyers of the civil party.
Nearly 20 years in prison.
This is the sentence to which Dino Scala, nicknamed "the rapist of the Sambre", was sentenced yesterday by the Assize Court of the North.
A relief for almost all the victims of the sexual predator (Dino Scala was found guilty in 54 of the 56 cases of rape and assault for which he was tried), like Mélanie, who has trouble holding back her tears.
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"Hearing 'guilty, guilty, etc.' during the verdict, it's like freeing yourself from a weight that you carry," she explains.
The young woman, who was only 14 when she was attacked, hopes to turn the page.
“I will be able to move on and enjoy life,” she rejoices.
A punishment not severe enough
For nearly 30 years, the man who was described as "a good father", assaulted women within a radius of a few kilometers around his home.
If the 61-year-old man is today found guilty, for the lawyers of the civil parties, the sentence of the one who was nicknamed "the rapist of the Sambre" is not high enough in view of the number of rapes and of sexual assaults.
"It is difficult to hear that for two, three, four or 54 victims, the sentence is the same. That means that 20 years of imprisonment is not even six months per victim", annoys the lawyer Caty Richard.
And to add: "Is it normal that with ten victims or 54, we incur the same thing? This is a real question to ask our newly elected deputies", she concludes.