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CRIME

Couple on trial for stabbing child to death

The trial of a couple accused of torturing and killing a ten-year-old has begun in l’Ain in the east of France. The victim Valentin Crémault was found in 2008 with 44 knife wounds in his body.

Published: 5 December 2011 11:41 CET

Stéphane Moiteret, 42 years old, is accused of murder and acts of torture while his partner Noëlla Hégo, 52 years old, stands accused of complicity.

In the courtroom on Monday, Moiteret appeared scared and was barely audible when he told the judges his name, French weekly Le Point reports.

Psychological experts disagree on whether Moiteret and Hégo are sane and should face trial.

The couple say they are Australian pilgrims on a quest to save the world. Hégo insists on being called “Her Majesty” or “Her Excellency”.

The victim Valentin Crémault was found stabbed to death in the town of Lagnieu. He had gone on a bike ride.

The couple Moiteret and Hégo are suspected of killing Valentin after traces of blood containing the child’s DNA were found at a nearby parish where they were staying.

Moiteret insists a look-alike commited the crime.

CRIME

French police seize over a million ecstasy pills

French police have seized more than a million ecstasy tablets worth around €10 million from two vehicles in southeastern France, police said on Tuesday.

Published: 7 May 2024 16:25 CEST
French police seize over a million ecstasy pills

Four people travelling in the vehicles were detained last week in the Drome department in southeast France and charged with drug possession and distribution, among other offenses, said a statement.

A handgun was also found during the searches.

The haul — weighing more than 540 kilos — represents two-thirds of the drug typically seized in France in a year, and is worth around €10 million, according to the interior ministry.

The bust was the result of an investigation launched in October following the suspicious use of a rented vehicle in the southeastern department of Isere.

In April, investigators had detected preparations that appeared to point to a drug transporting operation from the north of France.

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