Thousands march for French schoolgirl murdered after police failed to question suspect
Local man had been accused of rape in months before murder but series of delays meant police had failed to summon him for questioning
TL;DR
- Thousands participated in a silent march for 11-year-old Lyhanna in Fleurance, France.
- The murder has highlighted significant delays and failures within the French justice system.
- Suspect Jérôme Barella had faced multiple previous allegations of sexual abuse, including a recent rape accusation, but had not been questioned by police.
- President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged "unacceptable" failures and promised an investigation.
- France's justice minister noted a backlog of 3 million police complaints, including 70,000 related to sexual assault.
- Local officials expressed anger and called for an end to predators operating with impunity.