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CRIME

French couple charged after ‘rocking’ baby in a washing machine

A 19-year-old woman and her 22-year-old partner have been charged after they admitted to putting a 15-month-old girl into a washing machine to "rock her".

Published: 16 March 2017 09:19 CET
French couple charged after 'rocking' baby in a washing machine
Photo: Bart Everson/Flickr
The disturbing story emerged from Perpignan, on the southern coast of France, on Wednesday after the man confessed to putting the baby into the washing machine because he wanted to “rock it”, as one might in a cradle. 
 
He did not switch on the machine, but “manually turned it” while the door was open, reported L'Express newspaper.
 
The case was brought to the attention of authorities after the mother brought the child into hospital, claiming the infant's bruises were from a fall. 
 
Doctors suspected foul play and contacted police. 
 
The man was charged for aggravated violence on a child as well as domestic violence.
 
The mother, who was also taken into custody, admitted that her partner had put the baby in the machine and that she hadn't done anything to stop him. 
 
She added that she had been terrified after the partner threatened to kill her. She has been charged with failing to prevent a crime. 
 
The man denies all accusations, saying he just wanted to “rock the baby”. 
 
The baby girl was taken into social care. 

CRIME

Two girls wounded in knife attack outside French school

An assailant on Thursday wounded two girls aged 6 and 11 in a knife attack close to their school in the east of France and was later arrested, officials said.

Published: 18 April 2024 16:33 CEST
Two girls wounded in knife attack outside French school

The 11-year-old was stabbed outside the school in the town of Souffelweyersheim, on the outskirts of Strasbourg, while the six-year-old was attacked by the same man nearby.

Both received superficial wounds, police said, adding the attacker did not appear to have any known links to radicals and was not previously known to the security services.

Both received superficial wounds, police said, adding the attacker did not appear to have any known links to radicals and was not previously known to the security services.

Both girls are being treated in a paediatric hospital. Parents were later in the afternoon allowed to pick up their children, who had been confined to the school in the immediate aftermath of the attack.

The attacker, born in 1995, was arrested in the area where he attacked the second girl, the police said. He no longer had the knife in his hand and did not resist arrest, it added.

The attack came as Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced a series of measures aimed at cracking down on violence committed by schoolchildren against their peers. There was no indication so far that the attacker had a link with the school.

“I’m really scared. We’ve been reassured that the children are safe inside, but we don’t know when we’ll be able to get them back,” Sarah, a mother of an eight-year-old pupil, told AFP before the green light was given to collect the children.

“A friend called me. She saw the commotion in front of the school as she passed by. Her reflex was to call me so that I could pick up my son.”

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