1. Darling.
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2. Rama.
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3. You were calling for your mother.
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4. What?
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5. You were saying, "Mom, Mom."
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6. Don't be ridiculous.
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7. Wait, please.
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8. They are young.
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9. They are heroes with no imagination.
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10. They shave my head carefully
till they're done.
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11. They believe it's their duty
to shave the women's heads well.
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12. Are you ashamed for them, my love?
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13. No.
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14. You are dead.
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15. I'm far too busy suffering.
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16. Night falls.
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17. All I hear is the sound of scissors
cutting my hair.
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18. It slightly eases the pain of your death.
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19. Oh the pain!
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20. The pain in my heart...
it's unbelievable.
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21. All around,
they're singing the Marseillaise.
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22. My father's drug store is closed
because of the disgrace.
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23. I am alone.
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24. Some of them laugh.
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25. At night, I return home.
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26. This week's class will focus
on the work of Marguerite Duras.
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27. More precisely,
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28. how the author
uses the power of her narrative
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29. to sublimate reality.
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30. The images you have just seen...
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31. I chose to link their direct violence
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32. and full on historic significance,
to the shaved-headed woman that Duras
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33. creates in Hiroshima, my love,
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34. to demonstrate how the author
managed to transform the shock
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35. and feeling of revolt
in the face of these acts,
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36. which were commonplace
at the end of the war,
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37. into an almost lyrical song.
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38. Listening to the text,
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39. the author's intention is crystal clear.
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40. This woman is humiliated,
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41. distraught,
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42. branded like a prisoner,
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43. all be it temporarily
as hair does grow back,
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44. but branded forever on her memory
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45. and that of those around her.
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46. This woman, an object of shame,
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47. becomes, thanks to the author's words,
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48. not only a heroine
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49. but a human being in a state of grace.
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50. Hello.
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51. - Hello, Mrs. Fall.
- Hello, Adrien.
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52. - How are you?
- I'm OK.
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53. Hi.
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54. Hi, Tenning.
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55. You OK?
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56. I'd better check on the food.
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57. I'll come with you.
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58. Here's your medication, Mom.
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59. Don't worry, Mom, it's nothing.
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60. I'm really enjoying this.
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61. - So I see.
- Bravo.
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62. - It's delicious.
- Thank you.
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63. Adrien, tell me about your work.
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64. It's going really well.
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65. It was our bass player's birthday
at the last concert.
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66. The audience sang Happy Birthday to him.
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67. He was thrilled.
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68. We're doing alright.
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69. We have work.
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70. Touch wood.
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71. How about you, Rama,
is the new book coming on well?
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72. - And you?
- I'm OK.
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73. A bit tired from work, but I'm OK.
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74. It doesn't show, you look well.
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75. - Good.
- Those earrings really suit you.
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76. - That's true.
- Thank you.
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77. You don't often wear earrings,
they suit you.
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78. Where are you going on holiday this year?
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79. I don't think we'll go away this year.
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80. We have some major work
to do on the house.
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81. What kind of work?
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82. Nothing very important.
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83. Nothing very important, yeah.
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84. Right.
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85. By the way,
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86. can you take Mom to physio on Monday?
I finish too late.
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87. I can't on Monday.
I'm in meetings all day.
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88. How about you, Rama,
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89. - can you take her?
- No, I can't.
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90. You could make an effort.
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91. But I can't. I won't be here.
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92. There's Dad.
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93. Do you remember that cousin?
We never see him.
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94. - I think that's Uncle Bamba.
- I don't know.
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95. Yeah, I think it's him.
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96. There were so many of us!
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97. Those were happy times.
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98. You can't tell Dad was sick at the time.
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99. It didn't show.
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100. There's Mom. What memories.
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101. Incredible.
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102. Look at her!
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103. Incredible.
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104. There's Rama.
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105. - Always calm.
- She was shy.
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106. Incredible.
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107. She was already a wild little thing.
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108. Mom?
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109. Mom?
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110. Will you be OK?
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111. Yes.
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112. - Call me when you arrive.
- OK.
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113. Ciao.
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114. All rise.
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115. Please be seated.
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116. Ask the journalists to leave.
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117. Would all journalists please leave.
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118. Bailiff, bring in the defendant.
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119. Gentlemen, please remove the handcuffs.
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120. Please state your full name,
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121. date and place of birth
and your parents' full names.
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122. My name is Laurence Coly.
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123. I was born March 15, 1980,
in Dakar, Senegal.
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124. My father's name is Robert Coly,
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125. my mother's name, Odile Diatta.
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126. What is your profession?
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127. I'm a student.
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128. At the time of your arrest,
you were living with Mr. Luc Dumontet,
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129. at 29, Avenue du Général De Gaulle,
in Saint-Mandé.
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130. - Is that correct, Ms. Coly?
- Yes.
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131. You may be seated.
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132. The court will now proceed
with jury selection.
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133. If any of you, ladies and gentlemen,
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134. are related to the defendant
or her family,
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135. to any of the attorneys
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136. or judges, you must say so now.
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137. Juror number fifteen.
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138. Mrs. Evelyne Pringent.
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139. Born February 28, 1958, in Lille.
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140. Lives in Saint-Omer.
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141. Chartered accountant.
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142. Dismissed.
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143. Juror number seventeen.
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144. Mrs. Yasmina Belhadj.
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145. Born June 22, 1990, in Paris.
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146. Lives in Clairmarais.
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147. Project manager.
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148. Dismissed.
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149. Juror number eighteen.
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150. Mrs. Sandrine Deportaire.
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151. Born February 19, 1986, in Lille.
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152. Lives in Armentières.
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153. Nurse.
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154. Please be seated.
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155. Juror number twenty-one.
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156. Mr. Julien Titrain.
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157. Born August 9, 1986, in Calais...
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158. Ms. Coly, please stand up.
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159. Ms. Coly,
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160. you are accused of the murder
of your 15-month-old daughter, Elise.
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161. The indictment we will now read,
details the facts
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162. that led to your arrest.
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163. On November 11, 2015,
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164. a man went into a police station
in Berck-sur-Mer.
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165. He reported finding the body of a child
on the beach that morning.
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166. He told the police officers
that while he was shore fishing,
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167. he noticed a shape
washed up on the sand.
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168. At first, he thought it was a seal.
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169. He went over to it
and discovered the corpse of a child.
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170. A medical examiner inspected the body
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171. and confirmed that the corpse
was that of a little girl,
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172. the cause of death:
drowning, suffocated by saltwater.
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173. There were no toxic substances
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174. or signs of abuse on the child's body.
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175. The investigators first thought the child
was a migrant drowned in a shipwreck.
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176. That same evening,
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177. the manager of Les Embruns hotel
went to the police station.
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178. He remembered a female guest and a child
who had spent a night at the hotel.
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179. The name given by the guest
enabled the officers to search
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180. the national immigration database.
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181. The name was Ms. Laurence Coly,
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182. living with Mr. Luc Dumontet,
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183. at 29, Avenue du Général De Gaulle,
in Saint-Mandé,
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184. in the Paris metropolitan area.
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185. The officers went
to your place of residence
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186. on November 20, 2015,
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187. nine days after the corpse was found.
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188. At first, you told them you'd sent
your daughter to your mother in Dakar
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189. to give yourself time
to write your thesis.
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190. You were informed that you were seen
with the child at the Gare du Nord,
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191. on the beach
and at the hotel in Berck-sur-Mer.
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192. Images from the CCTV cameras show
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193. that you returned to Paris alone,
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194. without the child.
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195. This was when you confessed.
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196. You told the detectives
that you killed your daughter because,
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197. I quote, "It would make life easier."
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198. You claimed to have committed the crime
after a violent clash with Mr. Dumontet.
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199. You claimed to have left
your daughter on the beach
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200. believing that the sea
would carry away her body.
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201. You claimed to have been, I quote,
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202. "Drawn into a tragic and vile venture."
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203. And although you claim
to have Western values,
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204. you describe "hallucinatory" phenomena
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205. of which you claim to be the victim.
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206. You talk of an "evil-eye,"
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207. you say you were cursed
by your family in Senegal
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208. and by Mr. Dumontet's family.
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209. Ms. Coly,
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210. do you know why you killed your daughter?
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211. I don't know.
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212. I hope this trial
will give me the answer.
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213. - Do you accept the alleged facts?
- Yes, I do.
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214. How do you plead?
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215. I plead not guilty, Your Honor.
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216. I don't think I'm the responsible party
in this case.
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217. What do you mean by,
"I don't think I'm the responsible party?"
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218. The two years before my daughter's death
were the worst of my life.
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219. Ms. Coly,
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220. we are here to try to understand,
you must explain.
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221. Mrs. Coly, we will now talk
about you and your life.
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222. You were born in Dakar.
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223. Your mother, Odile Diatta, is unemployed
and your father,
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224. Robert Coly,
a United Nations translator.
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225. They were in a relationship
for seven years.
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226. Could you tell us about your childhood?
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227. Shortly after I was born, my father
left my mother for another woman.
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228. I grew up with my mother
and my maternal grandmother.
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229. I was very close to my grandmother,
she took care of me.
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230. She was very affectionate with me.
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231. I was devastated by her death.
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232. She was called Elise,
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233. like my daughter.
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234. What were you like as a child?
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235. Materially, I lacked for nothing.
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236. We lived with others in a large house.
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237. We were comfortable.
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238. I think my childhood was quite ordinary.
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239. Cousins, birthday parties,
baptisms, Christmases...
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240. I was brought up as an only child.
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241. They say I was chatty, jolly...
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242. yet I remember sometimes,
I distanced myself from the others.
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243. It worried my grandmother,
but I needed time alone.
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244. I read a lot too.
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245. I was mad about literature.
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246. - Did you have friends?
- Not really.
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247. Why do you think that was?
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248. I don't know.
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249. Perhaps because my parent's situation
was rather unusual.
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250. Or because my mother
forbade me to speak Wolof.
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251. It distanced me from the others.
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252. Why were you forbidden to speak Wolof?
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253. She wanted me to speak perfect French
and only French.
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254. She wanted me to succeed in life.
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255. She was obsessed by my education.
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256. What about your father?
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257. - Did you see him regularly?
- Yes, I did.
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258. I went to his house
one Sunday per month.
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259. My father is a calm person.
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260. He can be severe, but...
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261. he is sensitive and very cultured.
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262. We share a taste for the arts.
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263. With my mother, on the other hand,
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264. you could say it's more charged.
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265. - She is more hotheaded.
- Meaning?
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266. How would you describe
your relationship with your mother?
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267. When I was young,
my mother was often absent.
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268. She worked hard, she was always tired.
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269. Even if she had high expectations of me,
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270. - there was always a distance between us.
- Meaning?
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271. What do you mean by "distance"?
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272. I don't know.
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273. We don't have much in common.
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274. We're not interested in the same things.
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275. We are very different.
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276. Your mother has lived in Italy
for several years.
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277. She told the detectives
Copy !req
278. that you called each other regularly,
at least once a week.
Copy !req
279. This statement suggests
Copy !req
280. that you were close,
Ms. Coly, not distant.
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281. I don't know.
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282. We called each other because...
Copy !req
283. one has to call one's mother,
that's how it is.
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284. Would you say you were a wanted child?
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285. I don't know.
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286. You should ask them,
it didn't feel that way.
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287. What was your education like?
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288. My education was classic, literary.
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289. I attended the same Catholic school
all the way through.
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290. I was a good student.
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291. I knew what I wanted to study.
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292. My father supported me.
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293. I wanted to study law.
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294. Why did you decide to come to France?
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295. To get away from my parents.
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296. You just described a happy childhood,
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297. yet you wanted
to get away from your parents.
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298. That's contradictory.
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299. On the outside, everything was fine,
but it was oppressive.
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300. My father
Copy !req
301. put a lot of pressure on me.
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302. I am his only biological child.
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303. I carried a lot of weight
on my shoulders.
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304. As for my mother, like I said,
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305. it was more or less the same thing.
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306. Sometimes,
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307. I felt she was projecting
her own desires onto me.
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308. Their obsession with my success
tormented me.
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309. You came to France in 1998.
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310. You lived with one of your maternal aunts
Copy !req
311. in the 5th arrondissement, in Paris.
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312. How were your first years in Paris?
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313. I stayed with my aunt for two years.
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314. After that, I shared an apartment
with a cousin, Marthe.
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315. My father paid the rent,
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316. I attended university.
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317. It should have gone well, but...
Copy !req
318. there were problems with Marthe.
Copy !req
319. She caused trouble,
she was jealous of me.
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320. The year I spent with her was horrible.
Copy !req
321. At that time,
something inside me snapped.
Copy !req
322. After that...
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323. I went back to Dakar for a while
for my grandmother's funeral.
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324. There,
Copy !req
325. everyone was weird around me.
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326. They called me an Oreo
Copy !req
327. because I acted like
a white Parisian woman.
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328. It was a very difficult trip.
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329. I argued a lot with my mother.
Copy !req
330. She also said I had changed.
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331. My only desire was to return to France,
Copy !req
332. but I didn't want to live
with my cousin again.
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333. I went back to my aunt's place,
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334. but I only stayed for three months.
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335. I found a room
in exchange for child minding.
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336. Yes, the mother of those children,
Mrs. Vincent,
Copy !req
337. said you were
very affectionate with them.
Copy !req
338. She said you were, "Kind, intelligent,"
Copy !req
339. it seems she really liked you.
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340. I got on well with the children.
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341. I looked after them for a few years,
then I stopped.
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342. My father stopped sending me money.
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343. He was disappointed that I decided
to do philosophy and not law.
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344. He refused to support me.
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345. He...
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346. When he found out...
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347. Your father wasn't able
to attend your trial,
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348. he claimed he had
an urgent job in Cameroun.
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349. I will read an extract
from his statement.
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350. "Laurence was an obedient,
intelligent and gifted child.
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351. "Our relationship became complicated
when she went to France."
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352. Your father mentions
an argument you had in 2002,
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353. after which, you cut ties.
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354. What was the argument about?
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355. It was at Christmas, over the phone.
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356. He'd found out
that I'd stopped attending university.
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357. He was very cross.
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358. I told him
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359. I wanted to swap law for philosophy,
but he was against it.
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360. He said he'd stop supporting me
if I didn't change my mind.
Copy !req
361. So that was when all ties were cut?
Copy !req
362. Yes.
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363. When your father stopped supporting you,
Copy !req
364. was that when things started
to go badly with Mrs. Vincent?
Copy !req
365. Yes, it was then.
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366. I had no income.
Copy !req
367. I couldn't pay the rent
and my mother couldn't help me.
Copy !req
368. When Mrs. Vincent asked you to move out,
Copy !req
369. she says you emotionally blackmailed her.
Copy !req
370. That's not true.
I just asked her for some time.
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371. I had to find a solution.
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372. I didn't want to go back to my aunt's.
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373. Was it at that time
Copy !req
374. that you moved in with Mr. Dumontet?
Copy !req
375. Yes.
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376. How did you meet him?
Copy !req
377. At a dinner at my aunt's place.
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378. He knew her from Senegal.
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379. I think my aunt had her eye on him.
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380. What made you think that?
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381. I don't know.
Copy !req
382. She seemed flattered
that he came to see her.
Copy !req
383. I always suspected it.
Copy !req
384. She flirted with him.
Copy !req
385. Luc always denied it when I asked him.
Copy !req
386. I think she invited me to impress him.
Copy !req
387. Having a well-educated niece
made her look good.
Copy !req
388. We spoke a lot that night.
Copy !req
389. Luc knew Senegal well,
he'd spent some time there.
Copy !req
390. He invited me to an exhibition
the next day.
Copy !req
391. We started to spend time together.
Copy !req
392. We got on well
despite our age difference.
Copy !req
393. He was 57,
Copy !req
394. I was 24.
Copy !req
395. Did you have any romantic relationships
before Mr. Dumontet?
Copy !req
396. The only relationship I've ever had
was with Mr. Dumontet.
Copy !req
397. Did you have sexual relations
with anyone other than Mr. Dumontet?
Copy !req
398. No.
Copy !req
399. Did you both agree
that you'd live together?
Copy !req
400. I think Luc was reluctant.
Copy !req
401. But for me, living with him made sense,
Copy !req
402. I couldn't continue
living with Mrs. Vincent.
Copy !req
403. And
Copy !req
404. I spent all my time with him.
Copy !req
405. What did you know about Luc Dumontet
when you met him?
Copy !req
406. I knew he had spent time in Africa.
Copy !req
407. I knew he worked for
a major transport company,
Copy !req
408. that he'd left his job
to follow his passion, sculpture.
Copy !req
409. Shortly after we met,
Copy !req
410. he moved into an artist's studio
in St. Mandé.
Copy !req
411. Were you in love
when you decided to move in with him?
Copy !req
412. Yes.
Copy !req
413. Was it at this time
that you went back to university?
Copy !req
414. Luc encouraged me to study again.
Copy !req
415. He offered to pay for my studies
so I could be independent later on.
Copy !req
416. When you moved in with Luc Dumontet,
Copy !req
417. did you know he had a daughter?
Copy !req
418. That he was still married?
Copy !req
419. Even if he wasn't living with them.
Copy !req
420. Yes.
Copy !req
421. I knew from the start.
Copy !req
422. I saw his daughter
once or twice in St. Mandé.
Copy !req
423. I saw his wife once.
Copy !req
424. Any questions?
Copy !req
425. Counselor Vaudenay.
Copy !req
426. How was your relationship
with Mr. Dumontet's family
Copy !req
427. when you moved in with him?
Copy !req
428. He didn't introduce me to any of them.
Copy !req
429. Luc lunched with his wife once a week,
I had no say in it.
Copy !req
430. I don't know what he told her about me,
he wouldn't say.
Copy !req
431. I didn't exist when she was around.
Copy !req
432. He said they were just friends
but I didn't know if it was true.
Copy !req
433. I wasn't invited
to his daughter's wedding,
Copy !req
434. but he did ask me to cook the meal.
Copy !req
435. When the reception began at the studio,
Luc booked me into a hotel.
Copy !req
436. He slipped me out through the back door.
Copy !req
437. No further questions, Your Honor.
Copy !req
438. Ms. Coly, at what point
Copy !req
439. did your relationship with Mr. Dumontet
start to deteriorate?
Copy !req
440. Certain facts distanced me from him.
Copy !req
441. What do you mean?
Copy !req
442. I had visions.
Copy !req
443. A flash.
Copy !req
444. About a secret of his.
Copy !req
445. A secret he keeps to himself.
Copy !req
446. You didn't mention that
during the investigation.
Copy !req
447. You described recurrent harassment,
Copy !req
448. disdain, indifference, lack of interest.
Copy !req
449. Those were your grievances.
Copy !req
450. In addition, you resented him
for visiting his brother in Auvergne.
Copy !req
451. No.
Copy !req
452. I meant it was Luc's attitude
and behavior that puzzled me.
Copy !req
453. Parties or birthdays spent with the wife
he had supposedly left, not with me.
Copy !req
454. It was as if...
Copy !req
455. someone or something
wanted to distance him from me.
Copy !req
456. Did you want a child?
Copy !req
457. No.
Copy !req
458. - Did you use contraception?
- No, we had sex sporadically.
Copy !req
459. When Luc Dumontet noticed the pregnancy,
you told him you wouldn't terminate it.
Copy !req
460. Why?
Copy !req
461. When Luc found out,
it was too late for an abortion.
Copy !req
462. I didn't get pregnant on purpose
as he told the investigator.
Copy !req
463. Throughout my entire pregnancy,
Copy !req
464. he kept looking at me, saying
Copy !req
465. "What will you do?",
never "What will we do?"
Copy !req
466. I said to him,
Copy !req
467. "Don't worry,
Copy !req
468. "you'll still have your life,
Copy !req
469. "you'll still deny my existence
and that of the child,"
Copy !req
470. he always found a way to do that.
Copy !req
471. You may sit down.
Copy !req
472. Mr. Dumontet, come forward please.
Copy !req
473. The court will hear you.
Copy !req
474. Mr. Dumontet, with hindsight,
Copy !req
475. how do you explain what Ms. Coly did?
Copy !req
476. It's incomprehensible, Your Honor.
Copy !req
477. What Laurence did is incomprehensible.
Copy !req
478. She was a wonderful mother,
the way she took care of Lili...
Copy !req
479. She massaged her every day.
Copy !req
480. Lili was loved by both of us.
Copy !req
481. Laurence Coly said earlier
Copy !req
482. that you were reluctant
for her to move in with you.
Copy !req
483. Do you agree with that?
Copy !req
484. No.
Copy !req
485. I was somewhat surprised
about the way it happened
Copy !req
486. but I welcomed her gladly.
Copy !req
487. We agreed on a three-year period,
Copy !req
488. so that she could finish her studies
and find work as a university lecturer.
Copy !req
489. That was our agreement.
Copy !req
490. For the most part,
I believe we got on well.
Copy !req
491. I would go as far as to say
that we were happy.
Copy !req
492. At least in the beginning.
Copy !req
493. We went out a lot.
Copy !req
494. I was proud to have a woman like her
by my side.
Copy !req
495. Sometimes, when she spoke
Copy !req
496. about her struggles with the thesis,
Copy !req
497. I admit, I didn't understand anything,
Copy !req
498. I couldn't help her, but...
Copy !req
499. I was very impressed by
Copy !req
500. how knowledgeable she was.
Copy !req
501. But...
Copy !req
502. I should add that
Copy !req
503. Laurence is a very difficult person.
Copy !req
504. She is extremely jealous of everyone.
Copy !req
505. Whenever a woman spoke to me,
Copy !req
506. she became paranoid, crazy.
Copy !req
507. She could stay angry for days
Copy !req
508. and give me the silent treatment.
Copy !req
509. Her silence was very aggressive.
Copy !req
510. She often told me that if she felt
I'd become too old and helpless,
Copy !req
511. she would leave me.
Copy !req
512. I took it for granted
that she'd leave me one day.
Copy !req
513. Would you say
you had a romantic relationship
Copy !req
514. with Ms. Coly?
Copy !req
515. Yes.
Copy !req
516. Yes, I think it was a love affair
Copy !req
517. that went wrong and I don't know why.
Copy !req
518. But it was a love affair.
Copy !req
519. We conceived a child whom we both adored.
Copy !req
520. And despite Laurence's temper,
Copy !req
521. when the three of us lay in bed,
Copy !req
522. I felt like the happiest man alive.
Copy !req
523. Yet you never introduced Ms. Coly
to your friends or family.
Copy !req
524. You told nobody about Elise's birth.
Copy !req
525. How do you explain that?
Copy !req
526. I thought Laurence
was embarrassed about us,
Copy !req
527. she kept saying I was too old,
I didn't want to push her.
Copy !req
528. And her jealousy...
Copy !req
529. I was always afraid
she'd take things the wrong way,
Copy !req
530. so I avoided certain subjects.
Copy !req
531. And it was better for Elise, too.
Copy !req
532. It was simpler for everyone.
Copy !req
533. You said your relationship deteriorated
Copy !req
534. before the child's birth.
Copy !req
535. Didn't you think about contraception?
Copy !req
536. No.
Copy !req
537. Laurence told me that due to an illness
she didn't need it.
Copy !req
538. Didn't you notice her pregnancy?
Copy !req
539. When did you realize she was pregnant?
Copy !req
540. Of course I had my suspicions.
Copy !req
541. But when I asked her,
she systematically denied it.
Copy !req
542. When she did tell me, it was too late.
Copy !req
543. I was away a lot.
Copy !req
544. I went to Clermont often
to visit my brother
Copy !req
545. who was dying.
Copy !req
546. Strangely, we were getting on better
at that time.
Copy !req
547. Laurence seemed calmer.
Copy !req
548. Then in August,
after one of those visits,
Copy !req
549. when I returned, Lili was there.
Copy !req
550. How did you feel when you arrived home
and saw the child?
Copy !req
551. I was shocked.
Copy !req
552. I was shocked to find Laurence
in bed with a baby,
Copy !req
553. I was shocked she hadn't called me.
Copy !req
554. Yet, I had returned
Copy !req
555. two days before the delivery date
she had given me.
Copy !req
556. Soon afterwards, Laurence told me
Lili had to go to Senegal
Copy !req
557. while she finished her studies
and found a job.
Copy !req
558. She said I was too old
to look after a baby properly,
Copy !req
559. that her mother was in Dakar
and would look after Lili.
Copy !req
560. Your Honor, if I may,
Copy !req
561. I'd like to talk about Lili.
Nobody has mentioned her.
Copy !req
562. I'd like to talk about her,
I took care of her.
Copy !req
563. Each morning, weather permitting,
I took her to the Bois de Vincennes.
Copy !req
564. The nannies would see me,
Copy !req
565. occasionally,
one of them would peek into the stroller
Copy !req
566. and tell me how cute she was.
Copy !req
567. One day, I...
Copy !req
568. I was heavy handed with Lili,
it was nothing,
Copy !req
569. Laurence was furious,
she accused me of not loving her.
Copy !req
570. I said I'd get a divorce, marry her,
that I'd do anything for her and Lili.
Copy !req
571. But during her pregnancy,
Copy !req
572. did you look after Ms. Coly?
Copy !req
573. Did you go with her to the scans
or doctor's appointments?
Copy !req
574. No, I didn't know how to,
we didn't do that.
Copy !req
575. When I had my daughter,
men didn't do those things.
Copy !req
576. Nor did you acknowledge paternity.
Copy !req
577. What's more, the first time
the detectives called you,
Copy !req
578. you answered the phone and you told them,
Copy !req
579. "Yes, a child lives here,
but I'm not the father."
Copy !req
580. You told them
it was your girlfriend's daughter.
Copy !req
581. How do you explain that, Mr. Dumontet?
Copy !req
582. Laurence always said to me,
"She's mine, she's mine."
Copy !req
583. When I asked her
if she'd registered the child,
Copy !req
584. she said she had, but in her name.
Copy !req
585. I thought perhaps it was for the better,
Copy !req
586. that it would be complicated for Lili
Copy !req
587. to bear the name Dumontet, in Senegal.
Copy !req
588. You never mentioned Lili
to your eldest daughter, Adeline?
Copy !req
589. I thought it was
too complicated to explain,
Copy !req
590. she'd just given birth herself...
Copy !req
591. When Ms. Coly returned without Lili,
you had packed up her baby clothes
Copy !req
592. to donate them to charity.
Copy !req
593. You didn't tell a soul about her birth.
Copy !req
594. You never questioned her mother's decision
to send the child to Senegal.
Copy !req
595. Ms. Coly claims
you didn't care about Lili and her.
Copy !req
596. Neither did you attend
the child's funeral.
Copy !req
597. How should we interpret all that,
Mr. Dumontet?
Copy !req
598. I don't know.
Copy !req
599. I don't know.
Copy !req
600. The funeral was too far away,
Copy !req
601. I couldn't go there.
Copy !req
602. The idea of Lili's death
was rather abstract for me.
Copy !req
603. It's hard to grasp.
Copy !req
604. I don't know, I don't know!
Copy !req
605. Does the Prosecuting Attorney
have any questions?
Copy !req
606. Mr. Dumontet, I do not doubt
Copy !req
607. your good intentions towards Ms. Coly.
Copy !req
608. When she moved in with you,
her situation was critical.
Copy !req
609. She was jobless, homeless,
Copy !req
610. she wasn't even studying.
You took her in.
Copy !req
611. You found her a job,
enabled her to go back to her studies,
Copy !req
612. you even funded her studies.
Copy !req
613. What didn't you do for this woman?
Copy !req
614. And she...
Copy !req
615. in return,
Copy !req
616. I would love to know
what Ms. Coly gave you.
Copy !req
617. While I don't doubt
your love for this woman,
Copy !req
618. did she not move in with you
purely out of self-interest?
Copy !req
619. No, I don't think so.
Copy !req
620. I believe we were genuinely in love.
Copy !req
621. Counselor.
Copy !req
622. Mr. Dumontet, do you believe you have
moral responsibility in this case?
Copy !req
623. Yes.
Copy !req
624. I am responsible for everything.
Copy !req
625. I blame myself for everything,
I didn't protect Lili.
Copy !req
626. I am paying for that.
I can never make amends.
Copy !req
627. I've lost everything.
My life is worthless.
Copy !req
628. My gown is black, Mr. Dumontet, not red.
Copy !req
629. My role is not to judge you.
Copy !req
630. But I will talk of your cowardice,
Copy !req
631. your lack of involvement
in your daughter's birth.
Copy !req
632. You didn't want the pregnancy.
Copy !req
633. You didn't want the child.
Copy !req
634. You had no intention
of changing your life in any way.
Copy !req
635. You claim to speak of Lili,
but you speak only of yourself.
Copy !req
636. Laurence Coly's distress
was staring you in the face,
Copy !req
637. but you chose to turn a blind eye,
Copy !req
638. because you didn't want to see it.
Copy !req
639. Because you didn't care.
Copy !req
640. Thank you, Mr. Dumontet.
Copy !req
641. Stand up, Ms. Coly.
Copy !req
642. Ms. Coly,
Copy !req
643. how are your prison conditions?
Copy !req
644. It's calm.
Copy !req
645. For the first three months,
Copy !req
646. I didn't leave my cell.
Copy !req
647. I was afraid to go out alone.
Copy !req
648. Then...
Copy !req
649. it was only after two or three months,
Copy !req
650. that I began to have contact with others.
Copy !req
651. The report from Sequedin prison
describes you as calm,
Copy !req
652. smiling, undemanding and very respectful.
Copy !req
653. Yes.
Copy !req
654. Generally speaking,
my imprisonment is very dignified.
Copy !req
655. A few months after your arrival,
Copy !req
656. you mentioned some bullying.
Copy !req
657. A woman who has killed her baby
Copy !req
658. can't really expect any sympathy.
Copy !req
659. I shared their horror.
Copy !req
660. The hearing is adjourned.
Copy !req
661. - Excuse me, I don't know your name.
- Rama.
Copy !req
662. Pleased to meet you.
Copy !req
663. This is my hotel.
Copy !req
664. Mine is a bit further on.
Copy !req
665. - See you tomorrow.
- Yes.
Copy !req
666. I would have liked us
to eat together tonight,
Copy !req
667. but it's a little late
and I need to sleep.
Copy !req
668. Of course.
Copy !req
669. We could have lunch tomorrow
if you want.
Copy !req
670. OK. With pleasure.
Copy !req
671. See you tomorrow.
Copy !req
672. Good evening.
Copy !req
673. - Hello, Jean-Claude.
- Hi, Rama.
Copy !req
674. Sorry, I didn't have time
to call you back earlier.
Copy !req
675. Don't worry, it's OK.
Copy !req
676. How is the trial? What is she like?
Copy !req
677. She sounds fascinating.
Copy !req
678. The press says she talks
in a very sophisticated French.
Copy !req
679. She talks like an educated woman,
that's all.
Copy !req
680. That's true, you're right.
Copy !req
681. So, it went really well this morning.
Copy !req
682. Everyone is raving about your project.
Copy !req
683. They're just not sure about the title.
Copy !req
684. They think "Medea Castaway"
isn't very evocative.
Copy !req
685. Not everyone knows the story of Medea.
Copy !req
686. They think it should refer to the trial.
Copy !req
687. I told them it was a working title.
Copy !req
688. But doesn't everyone know
the story of Medea?
Copy !req
689. Well, OK.
Copy !req
690. I'm not at all worried, you go for it.
Copy !req
691. I'll read it when you're ready.
I just wanted to give you the news
Copy !req
692. and to tell you we're thrilled
with the sales of your last book.
Copy !req
693. We received the figures,
it's very impressive.
Copy !req
694. We were well received by the press.
Copy !req
695. That's great. Wonderful.
Copy !req
696. Come see me when you get back.
Copy !req
697. We'll have lunch.
Copy !req
698. With pleasure. Thank you for the update.
Copy !req
699. Well, see you soon.
Copy !req
700. - See you soon.
- Goodbye.
Copy !req
701. He didn't introduce me to anyone.
Copy !req
702. Luc lunched with his wife once a week,
I had no say in it.
Copy !req
703. I don't know what he told her about me,
he wouldn't say.
Copy !req
704. I didn't exist when she was around.
Copy !req
705. He said they were just friends
but I didn't know if it was true.
Copy !req
706. I wasn't invited
to his daughter's wedding,
Copy !req
707. but he did ask me to cook the meal.
Copy !req
708. When the party began at the studio,
Luc booked me into a hotel.
Copy !req
709. He slipped me out through the back door.
Copy !req
710. She was a wonderful mother,
Copy !req
711. the way she took care of Lili...
Copy !req
712. She massaged her every day.
Copy !req
713. Lili was loved by both of us.
Copy !req
714. Laurence said earlier, that you were
reluctant for her to move in with you.
Copy !req
715. Do you agree?
Copy !req
716. How would you describe
your relationship with your mother?
Copy !req
717. When I was young,
my mother was often absent.
Copy !req
718. She worked hard, she was always tired.
Copy !req
719. Even if she had high expectations of me,
Copy !req
720. - there was always a distance between us.
- Meaning?
Copy !req
721. What do you mean by "distance"?
Copy !req
722. I don't know.
Copy !req
723. We don't have much in common.
Copy !req
724. We're not interested in the same things.
Copy !req
725. We are very different.
Copy !req
726. Stand up, Ms. Coly.
Copy !req
727. Ms. Coly,
Copy !req
728. you often refer
to the extreme loneliness
Copy !req
729. of your situation before Elise's birth.
Copy !req
730. How did you spend your days?
Copy !req
731. You no longer went to classes,
what did you do?
Copy !req
732. I had never felt so low
as the year before Lili's birth.
Copy !req
733. I was becoming very depressed.
Copy !req
734. I spent hours walking in the woods.
Copy !req
735. I liked walking in the woods,
nobody bothered me there.
Copy !req
736. In the studio,
the silence was different.
Copy !req
737. I was afraid to be alone there.
Copy !req
738. What were you afraid of?
Copy !req
739. The atmosphere was becoming hostile.
Copy !req
740. For months,
I couldn't get out of bed in the morning.
Copy !req
741. I couldn't lift my head up,
I suffered from headaches.
Copy !req
742. And from blurred vision.
Copy !req
743. I heard strange noises
like echoes in the walls.
Copy !req
744. My feet were throbbing, I couldn't walk.
Copy !req
745. When I talked to Luc about it,
he didn't want to know,
Copy !req
746. he didn't listen to me.
Copy !req
747. He was obsessed with his sick brother,
he ignored me.
Copy !req
748. Did you consult a doctor?
Copy !req
749. I saw a physiotherapist
and an osteopath, but that didn't help.
Copy !req
750. Sorcery was the only logical conclusion.
Copy !req
751. I consulted various
Copy !req
752. clairvoyants by telephone,
everything they said made sense.
Copy !req
753. So I trusted them.
Copy !req
754. Yet the investigation found
Copy !req
755. that none of the clairvoyants
you supposedly consulted remembers you.
Copy !req
756. The officers found no trace
Copy !req
757. of any financial transactions.
Copy !req
758. Neither do your telephone records
show any trace of the calls.
Copy !req
759. But I did call them.
Copy !req
760. I'm surprised they don't remember me.
Copy !req
761. I called one every day at 7 a.m.
Her name is Patricia.
Copy !req
762. Patricia Antonia testified.
Copy !req
763. She doesn't remember you.
Copy !req
764. I don't know why she says that.
Copy !req
765. I told her everything.
Copy !req
766. I felt she understood me.
Copy !req
767. When I told her about my dream
Copy !req
768. in which giant butterflies
invaded the studio, she got it.
Copy !req
769. She said people wanted to hurt me.
Copy !req
770. How is there no proof?
Copy !req
771. Not a single telephone record.
Copy !req
772. I don't know.
Copy !req
773. You say your problems began
one year before Elise was born.
Copy !req
774. Roughly the time Elise was conceived,
is that correct?
Copy !req
775. Yes, perhaps. That might be so.
Copy !req
776. I don't remember the dates.
Copy !req
777. Did you deliberately conceal
your pregnancy?
Copy !req
778. I acted as if I wasn't pregnant,
I didn't try to conceal it.
Copy !req
779. When you fell pregnant,
did you consult a doctor?
Copy !req
780. I didn't see a doctor,
I didn't tell anyone.
Copy !req
781. Tell us about the birth.
Copy !req
782. Lili was born at the studio, I was alone.
Copy !req
783. Why didn't you go to hospital?
Copy !req
784. I don't know, I was in a black hole.
Copy !req
785. I didn't go out.
Copy !req
786. I didn't see anyone.
Copy !req
787. I was afraid, I wanted to protect Lili.
Copy !req
788. Protect her from what?
Copy !req
789. From malicious intent.
Copy !req
790. What was your frame of mind
just before the birth?
Copy !req
791. I was worried.
Copy !req
792. I was scared of not succeeding.
Copy !req
793. Had you prepared for the birth?
Copy !req
794. Yes.
Copy !req
795. I think I prepared for it at some point.
Copy !req
796. I researched how to do it.
Copy !req
797. I asked my mom, without telling her why,
how to care for a newborn.
Copy !req
798. Lili was born during the night.
Copy !req
799. On August 9, 2014, at 4:44 a.m.
Copy !req
800. Did you feel alone?
Copy !req
801. When I had the first contractions,
Copy !req
802. I could feel she was coming.
Copy !req
803. I was agitated but...
Copy !req
804. it was a special moment for me.
Copy !req
805. When she was born, I was in awe.
Copy !req
806. I was entranced by that tiny creature.
Copy !req
807. Didn't you worry that this secret birth
might go wrong?
Copy !req
808. Lili didn't seem to be in trouble.
Copy !req
809. She barely cried.
Copy !req
810. There was this incredible serenity
about her.
Copy !req
811. When you felt the first contractions,
Copy !req
812. why didn't you inform Luc Dumontet?
Copy !req
813. Luc was in Auvergne.
Copy !req
814. Yet he'd promised to be with me.
Copy !req
815. - Did you tell him the date?
- Yes.
Copy !req
816. Yet in your statement
Copy !req
817. you said you weren't sure
of the date of conception.
Copy !req
818. I knew when my daughter was conceived.
Copy !req
819. Luc promised
he'd be back in time for the birth.
Copy !req
820. When Lili was born,
Copy !req
821. you didn't call Mr. Dumontet
to tell him to come.
Copy !req
822. I didn't think it was necessary.
Copy !req
823. I wanted that moment for myself.
Copy !req
824. What did you tell him when he came back
and saw you with Lili?
Copy !req
825. Luc arrived,
Copy !req
826. he saw me holding a baby.
Copy !req
827. He came over and looked at the child.
Copy !req
828. He seemed
Copy !req
829. appalled,
Copy !req
830. speechless.
Copy !req
831. When he finally spoke, he said,
Copy !req
832. "Are you sure she's mine?"
Copy !req
833. I said to him, "Don't worry,
Copy !req
834. "she's mine."
Copy !req
835. I was upset he questioned his paternity
so I said she was mine.
Copy !req
836. I was in a state of beatitude
and his words were so vulgar,
Copy !req
837. I found it deeply insulting.
Copy !req
838. What did you tell him about the birth?
Copy !req
839. That I'd given birth
at Les Bluets clinic.
Copy !req
840. You told him
Copy !req
841. that you had registered Lili's birth.
Copy !req
842. Why didn't you do so?
Copy !req
843. I didn't register her
Copy !req
844. because I gave birth at home,
Copy !req
845. because I never left the studio,
Copy !req
846. and because it didn't even occur to me.
Copy !req
847. Luc asked me if I'd registered her,
I don't know why I lied.
Copy !req
848. What was your life with Elise like?
Copy !req
849. At first, I didn't take her out.
Copy !req
850. My days were structured around her.
Copy !req
851. She was calm, she barely cried.
Copy !req
852. My routine was shaped by Lili's needs.
Copy !req
853. - Did you breastfeed her?
- Yes.
Copy !req
854. When did you take her out of the studio?
Copy !req
855. I didn't take her out
for at least six months.
Copy !req
856. Luc was a bit more present at that time,
Copy !req
857. as soon as Lili could hold her head up,
Copy !req
858. he began to take her out.
Copy !req
859. But you,
nobody ever saw you with the baby.
Copy !req
860. Nobody saw me pregnant or with the baby.
Copy !req
861. I barely left the studio.
Copy !req
862. Did you buy any baby equipment?
Copy !req
863. Not much.
Copy !req
864. A few child care items,
Copy !req
865. a bouncy chair, baby clothes.
Copy !req
866. Keeping her birth a secret,
Copy !req
867. was that a decision
you took with Luc Dumontet?
Copy !req
868. I don't remember it that way.
Copy !req
869. - Why didn't he tell anyone?
- I don't know.
Copy !req
870. Early on, you told him that
your mother would take Lili to Senegal.
Copy !req
871. I said it as he was worried.
Copy !req
872. You told him, "She's mine."
Copy !req
873. Did you decide Lili's future all alone?
Copy !req
874. The plan to send her to Senegal?
Copy !req
875. I said that because
Luc didn't want a child at the studio.
Copy !req
876. - Was Lili ever sick?
- No.
Copy !req
877. Yes, she was.
Copy !req
878. She had chicken pox.
Copy !req
879. Did you take her to the doctor?
Copy !req
880. No.
Copy !req
881. Does the Prosecuting Attorney
have any questions?
Copy !req
882. Ms. Coly, you have strung us along
from the start.
Copy !req
883. You distance yourself
from the questions asked.
Copy !req
884. You avoid the awkward questions
and you lie to us.
Copy !req
885. Do you take us for fools?
Copy !req
886. You didn't love Luc Dumontet.
Copy !req
887. You didn't want a child with him,
you didn't want the pregnancy.
Copy !req
888. You deliberately concealed
the child's existence.
Copy !req
889. You told nobody about her,
not even your mother.
Copy !req
890. The truth...
Copy !req
891. is that you killed the child
because she got in your way.
Copy !req
892. That's nonsense.
Can you read my mind or my heart?
Copy !req
893. You think as I might get a life sentence
I'm going to lie?
Copy !req
894. What have I got to lose?
Copy !req
895. Please, ma'am, sorcery?
Copy !req
896. You are lying to yourself.
Copy !req
897. Yes, I speak of sorcery.
Copy !req
898. Why would I torment myself like that?
Copy !req
899. Killing my daughter
Copy !req
900. ruined my life.
Copy !req
901. Am I merely being dishonest?
Copy !req
902. When I speak of sorcery, I'm not lying.
Copy !req
903. Not even a dead-drunk idiot
would have done what I did.
Copy !req
904. And they say I'm intelligent.
Copy !req
905. So why did I do it?
Copy !req
906. Hello?
Copy !req
907. Hello, this is reception.
A lady is asking for you.
Copy !req
908. Hello.
Copy !req
909. Hello, are you ready to order?
Copy !req
910. Hello, I'll have the carpaccio.
Copy !req
911. - And you?
- Steak and fries.
Copy !req
912. OK.
Copy !req
913. That's a lot.
Copy !req
914. Why don't you have the fish?
Copy !req
915. And half a pint, please.
Copy !req
916. - I'll be right back.
- Thank you.
Copy !req
917. This must be hard for you.
Copy !req
918. Well, I trust in God.
Copy !req
919. Have you seen all the press coverage?
Copy !req
920. It's incredible.
Copy !req
921. Laurence should be careful.
Copy !req
922. She was rude this morning.
Copy !req
923. I don't understand
why her attorney didn't advise her.
Copy !req
924. It makes a bad impression.
Copy !req
925. Education and politesse
are the two most important things.
Copy !req
926. That's how I raised Laurence.
Copy !req
927. And it always helped her.
Copy !req
928. People talk about her appearance
and the way she talks.
Copy !req
929. That means she was well brought up.
Copy !req
930. - Here you are.
- Thank you.
Copy !req
931. - Were you born here?
- Yes.
Copy !req
932. Are your parents here too?
Copy !req
933. My father's dead but my mother is here.
Copy !req
934. - Any brothers or sisters?
- I have two sisters.
Copy !req
935. How many months pregnant are you?
Copy !req
936. Four months.
Copy !req
937. I guessed as soon as I saw you.
Copy !req
938. I'm very good at that.
Copy !req
939. Here you are.
Copy !req
940. Enjoy your meal.
Copy !req
941. No, I said I was planning
to do a thesis.
Copy !req
942. I never said I was a PhD student.
Copy !req
943. That's not entirely true, Ms. Coly.
Copy !req
944. From the start,
you claimed to be a PhD student.
Copy !req
945. That's what you told everyone,
the police,
Copy !req
946. Luc Dumontet, your family.
Copy !req
947. I attended the classes,
for me, it was the same thing.
Copy !req
948. Mrs. Jobard,
Copy !req
949. you stated that Ms. Coly,
didn't complete her degree.
Copy !req
950. That's right.
She didn't complete the year
Copy !req
951. because she didn't hand in her work.
Copy !req
952. She sent me an email
saying that she couldn't do it
Copy !req
953. as she was in hospital in Senegal,
but I didn't believe that.
Copy !req
954. Ms. Coly?
Copy !req
955. I don't remember saying that.
Copy !req
956. What was Ms. Coly like as a student?
Copy !req
957. What struck me was the ease
and eloquence of her speech
Copy !req
958. compared to her written work.
Copy !req
959. She spoke with ease,
but on the page, she wasn't convincing,
Copy !req
960. as if her thoughts weren't clear.
Copy !req
961. Ms. Coly,
Copy !req
962. you claimed to be writing a thesis
on Wittgenstein, the philosopher.
Copy !req
963. Why Wittgenstein?
Copy !req
964. I don't know.
Copy !req
965. Mrs. Jobard,
what do you make of this choice?
Copy !req
966. She is making it up.
Copy !req
967. What is curious is that Wittgenstein's
is a philosophy of language,
Copy !req
968. but I think she is hiding behind
a philosophy that is not about her.
Copy !req
969. What do you mean by,
"A philosophy that is not about her?"
Copy !req
970. Isn't it rather odd, an African woman
interested in an Austrian philosopher
Copy !req
971. from the early 20th century, why not
choose someone closer to her own culture?
Copy !req
972. Thank you, Mrs. Jobard.
Copy !req
973. You must remain standing
during the proceedings, ma'am.
Copy !req
974. The university told the investigators
Copy !req
975. you obtained a general studies diploma
after two years.
Copy !req
976. After that,
you enrolled for a bachelor's degree,
Copy !req
977. but you didn't complete it.
So you only have the general diploma.
Copy !req
978. If you say so.
Copy !req
979. I told you I attended the classes.
Copy !req
980. I thought I had a bachelor's degree.
Copy !req
981. Surely you knew
you didn't have a bachelor's degree.
Copy !req
982. You didn't turn up for any of the exams.
Copy !req
983. I was caught in a web of lies
at that time.
Copy !req
984. Later on, it collapsed.
Copy !req
985. Any questions?
Copy !req
986. Ms. Coly, are you talented?
Copy !req
987. I don't know.
Copy !req
988. - As a child, were you a good student?
- Yes.
Copy !req
989. Were you a perfect little girl,
overidealized in your parents' eyes?
Copy !req
990. I don't know, you should ask them.
Copy !req
991. What were your secret ambitions
when you came to France?
Copy !req
992. I wanted to leave my mark.
Copy !req
993. I've always been impressed
by the great thinkers
Copy !req
994. who shed light on the world
through their thoughts.
Copy !req
995. I dreamed of becoming
a great philosopher.
Copy !req
996. My ambition was cut short.
Copy !req
997. Certain things
Copy !req
998. made me stray from my path.
Copy !req
999. No further questions.
Copy !req
1000. Counselor Darcourt, we are listening.
Copy !req
1001. Ms. Coly,
Copy !req
1002. you mentioned a web of lies.
Copy !req
1003. Have you escaped from it now?
Copy !req
1004. Isn't the death of my daughter enough?
Copy !req
1005. I consider your reply intolerable,
it is not worthy.
Copy !req
1006. And it is unacceptable in a courthouse!
Copy !req
1007. - Sir, I am being frank.
- It is hard to understand you.
Copy !req
1008. Your persistent ambiguity...
Copy !req
1009. I'm not being ambiguous.
Some things, we can't be clear about.
Copy !req
1010. And...
Copy !req
1011. If I'm lying, I can't know why.
Copy !req
1012. Mrs. Diatta,
I'd like to ask you a few questions.
Copy !req
1013. Mrs. Diatta.
Copy !req
1014. When Laurence was pregnant, you spoke
twice a week, yet she didn't tell you.
Copy !req
1015. How do you explain that?
Copy !req
1016. Mrs. Diatta?
Copy !req
1017. Why do you think she didn't tell you?
Copy !req
1018. Both during the pregnancy
and after the child was born,
Copy !req
1019. you never heard any crying or babbling?
Copy !req
1020. No.
Copy !req
1021. She didn't tell me.
Copy !req
1022. I don't understand.
Copy !req
1023. That void, the void inside her,
Copy !req
1024. it was made deliberately.
Copy !req
1025. Before you Westerners,
Copy !req
1026. I can't explain it.
Copy !req
1027. Explain what, Mrs. Diatta?
Copy !req
1028. I came to wonder,
who they wanted to hurt in this case,
Copy !req
1029. Laurence,
Copy !req
1030. her father, or me?
Copy !req
1031. It was all orchestrated.
Copy !req
1032. I can hear you smiling.
Copy !req
1033. But it doesn't make me laugh.
Copy !req
1034. Sorcery was involved, I promise you.
Copy !req
1035. A curse even.
Copy !req
1036. Since my daughter left Senegal,
nothing went well for her.
Copy !req
1037. In my opinion,
nothing else can explain her failure.
Copy !req
1038. I even have proof of mystical blockages.
Copy !req
1039. It was no accident that I couldn't
see my daughter for two years.
Copy !req
1040. How about that?
Copy !req
1041. How do you explain that?
Copy !req
1042. Would the bailiff bring in
the investigating judge,
Copy !req
1043. Mr. Simon Jonquet.
Copy !req
1044. Sir, you were assigned
to investigate Mrs. Coly's case
Copy !req
1045. when the Public Prosecutor
brought her before the court.
Copy !req
1046. You interviewed her
on November 20, 2015.
Copy !req
1047. How did the issue of sorcery
come up during the interview?
Copy !req
1048. Before me is a woman who killed her baby
in circumstances that are shocking
Copy !req
1049. by our standards.
Copy !req
1050. I tried to ascertain whether
the cultural aspect played a part.
Copy !req
1051. I wondered if there was something
she couldn't say
Copy !req
1052. and asked her to draw on her culture
to try to explain.
Copy !req
1053. Sir, do you not think
that you opened the door to sorcery
Copy !req
1054. and that Ms. Coly dived in?
Copy !req
1055. Before me stood a woman
of African origin.
Copy !req
1056. I tried to understand her
with the available elements.
Copy !req
1057. As with Female Genital Mutilation,
Copy !req
1058. we cannot judge without taking
the ethnological aspect into account.
Copy !req
1059. Sir, the example of FGM
has true cultural value,
Copy !req
1060. killing one's child has none.
Copy !req
1061. I will be frank, sir,
Copy !req
1062. I have here, the interview transcripts.
Copy !req
1063. P32, file reference 421.
It is 3:52 p.m.
Copy !req
1064. You ask her a question, I quote,
Copy !req
1065. "Ms. Coly,
do not be ashamed of your culture,
Copy !req
1066. "if it might help us
to understand your actions."
Copy !req
1067. She replies, "I am a Cartesian thinker,
I don't believe in all that."
Copy !req
1068. Ms. Coly begins to evoke
hallucinatory phenomena
Copy !req
1069. and says she believes her aunts
may have put a curse on her.
Copy !req
1070. Do you not think you handed her
an easy defense strategy?
Copy !req
1071. And possibly even worse,
Copy !req
1072. that you let her become stuck
with the idea of sorcery?
Copy !req
1073. I strongly oppose that idea.
Copy !req
1074. I stuck scrupulously
to the rules of criminal procedure.
Copy !req
1075. I'd like to read you a few extracts
from a conversation recorded
Copy !req
1076. at Sequedin prison, between Ms. Coly
and her mother, Mrs. Diatta.
Copy !req
1077. Ms. Coly says,
Copy !req
1078. "The investigating judge
is buying into it."
Copy !req
1079. Mrs. Diatta replies, "What do you mean?"
Copy !req
1080. Laurence Coly replies,
Copy !req
1081. "The investigating judge
believes it was sorcery.
Copy !req
1082. "I'm not your run of the mill
infanticide mother,
Copy !req
1083. "that bothers them.
Copy !req
1084. "What's funny is that I killed my child,
Copy !req
1085. "but not in the way people usually do.
Copy !req
1086. "Before I get a 30-year sentence,
Copy !req
1087. "they must know who really killed her."
Copy !req
1088. Fuck!
Copy !req
1089. Hello, this is Adrien's phone...
Copy !req
1090. It's me...
Copy !req
1091. Ms. Coly,
Copy !req
1092. stand up.
Copy !req
1093. Ms. Coly,
Copy !req
1094. what was your state of mind on that day?
Copy !req
1095. Why did you decide to take the train
Copy !req
1096. to travel to Berck-sur-Mer
at that precise moment?
Copy !req
1097. Why did I take the train then?
Copy !req
1098. One might be tempted to say,
"She's growing up,
Copy !req
1099. "it's getting complicated,"
but that's not a reason.
Copy !req
1100. Why Berck?
Copy !req
1101. Why the sea?
Copy !req
1102. Because the tide was high enough
at that time of year.
Copy !req
1103. The tide was very high that day.
Copy !req
1104. I had decided to go to Berck
the previous evening.
Copy !req
1105. I took a train there.
Copy !req
1106. I boarded a bus.
Copy !req
1107. I asked a charming lady
which hotel was closest to the sea.
Copy !req
1108. She told me.
Copy !req
1109. She was a tourist guide.
Copy !req
1110. I arrived at the hotel.
Copy !req
1111. I dropped my things off.
Copy !req
1112. I think I played with Lili for a while.
Copy !req
1113. I fed her.
Copy !req
1114. At around 9 p.m., it was dark enough.
Copy !req
1115. It was high tide.
Copy !req
1116. The moon rose before me,
Copy !req
1117. lighting the path like a spotlight.
Copy !req
1118. I knew the path from the hotel
led to the beach, so I took it.
Copy !req
1119. It was pitch black
when I got to the beach.
Copy !req
1120. I rocked her.
Copy !req
1121. I breastfed her.
Copy !req
1122. Lili was content.
Copy !req
1123. She fell asleep in my arms.
Copy !req
1124. So I laid her on the beach.
Copy !req
1125. And...
Copy !req
1126. as she didn't react or make a noise,
Copy !req
1127. I left.
Copy !req
1128. I imagined the sea
would carry her body away.
Copy !req
1129. I went back to the hotel.
Copy !req
1130. That night, I slept like a log.
Copy !req
1131. I barely dreamt.
Copy !req
1132. Ms. Coly,
Copy !req
1133. when you went down to the beach
that night,
Copy !req
1134. were you absolutely sure
that the tide was rising?
Copy !req
1135. Yes.
Copy !req
1136. I saw the sea coming.
Copy !req
1137. When you were first
questioned by the police, you said
Copy !req
1138. that you entered the water,
that the water came up to your knees.
Copy !req
1139. Later on,
Copy !req
1140. you said you couldn't remember
going into the water.
Copy !req
1141. That's true.
Copy !req
1142. I don't remember.
Copy !req
1143. Prosecuting Attorney.
Copy !req
1144. Ma'am,
Copy !req
1145. your amnesia is very convenient.
Copy !req
1146. The water up to your knees,
that you say you forgot,
Copy !req
1147. sheds a much harsher light
on the story you have just told.
Copy !req
1148. Ms. Coly, you are not
on the stage of some theatre,
Copy !req
1149. you are in a court of law.
Copy !req
1150. The moon that lights your path
like a spotlight,
Copy !req
1151. the sea that will carry away her body...
Copy !req
1152. The truth is
Copy !req
1153. if the sea had carried away her body,
Copy !req
1154. nobody would have known
Copy !req
1155. that a little girl, called Elise,
had disappeared,
Copy !req
1156. because nobody knew that Elise existed.
Copy !req
1157. Everything had been set up
so nobody would know she had died.
Copy !req
1158. You condemned her to anonymity
from the moment she was born.
Copy !req
1159. Nobody saw you pregnant.
Copy !req
1160. You never took her out.
Copy !req
1161. Lili's existence was a total secret
from beginning to end.
Copy !req
1162. You have one new message,
received today at 1:19 p.m.
Copy !req
1163. I didn't see the child.
Copy !req
1164. What child?
Copy !req
1165. The child, Lili...
Copy !req
1166. I didn't see her.
Copy !req
1167. I didn't even think about her.
Copy !req
1168. I was obsessed with her, with Laurence.
Copy !req
1169. You can't stay here.
Copy !req
1170. Rama, listen...
Copy !req
1171. this case has nothing to do with you,
Copy !req
1172. or with us.
Copy !req
1173. I'm scared I'll be like her.
Copy !req
1174. Like who?
Copy !req
1175. Like my mother.
Copy !req
1176. Your mother is a broken woman.
Copy !req
1177. She is scarred by her own life.
Copy !req
1178. That's not you.
Copy !req
1179. That's not your life.
Copy !req
1180. Members of the jury, this is the story
Copy !req
1181. of a phantom woman.
Copy !req
1182. A woman whom nobody sees.
Copy !req
1183. Whom nobody knows.
Copy !req
1184. It's the story of a slow disappearance.
Copy !req
1185. A tragic descent into hell,
into which a mother led her child.
Copy !req
1186. This woman committed the worst crime.
Copy !req
1187. Infanticide.
Copy !req
1188. She killed her daughter
and she admits it.
Copy !req
1189. It is unbearable for us,
beyond comprehension.
Copy !req
1190. A mother who allows herself to kill
the child she's cherished for 15 months.
Copy !req
1191. It is easier to see her as a monster.
Copy !req
1192. A monster must be overcome.
Copy !req
1193. So you open the volumes of Penal Law
and you find her guilty.
Copy !req
1194. But if you do that, members of the jury,
Copy !req
1195. you will have handed down a judgement,
Copy !req
1196. but you won't have delivered justice.
Copy !req
1197. You will have answered
only the easiest question.
Copy !req
1198. Not the one that, as jury members,
you should be asking yourselves.
Copy !req
1199. If you can't ask yourself this question,
Copy !req
1200. you will stay on the beach,
Copy !req
1201. staggered by the horror of the crime.
Copy !req
1202. Why?
Copy !req
1203. What made Laurence Coly
kill her daughter
Copy !req
1204. whom she had loved
and taken care of so well?
Copy !req
1205. Why didn't she kill her at birth?
Copy !req
1206. Why did Elise die?
Copy !req
1207. Elise died
Copy !req
1208. because her mother is mad.
Copy !req
1209. And in her madness,
she believed she was protecting her.
Copy !req
1210. Consider the two extremes of her journey,
if you may.
Copy !req
1211. Consider this young lady,
Copy !req
1212. full of ambitions and desires,
arriving in Paris,
Copy !req
1213. and ask yourself this question,
Copy !req
1214. how did she become that isolated,
Copy !req
1215. invisible woman,
hiding in her partner's studio?
Copy !req
1216. When she moved in with Luc Dumontet,
Copy !req
1217. Laurence Coly had no financial resources,
Copy !req
1218. she no longer had a bank account
nor social security cover.
Copy !req
1219. She wasn't enrolled at the university.
Copy !req
1220. She started to hear voices.
Copy !req
1221. She experienced hallucinations,
terrifying dreams,
Copy !req
1222. strange signs
that she struggled to decipher.
Copy !req
1223. Other than a few phone calls
with her mother,
Copy !req
1224. she had no more contact
with the outside world.
Copy !req
1225. Her loneliness was so palpable
Copy !req
1226. that she could almost touch it.
Copy !req
1227. That was when she found out
that she was pregnant
Copy !req
1228. and would give birth to her daughter.
Copy !req
1229. In actual fact, Laurence Coly
didn't hide her pregnancy or the birth,
Copy !req
1230. she hid herself.
Copy !req
1231. She couldn't allow herself to be seen,
Copy !req
1232. she was too afraid.
Copy !req
1233. So, sorcery...
Copy !req
1234. Sorcery...
a young attorney, even a rookie,
Copy !req
1235. would destroy a defense strategy
based on sorcery.
Copy !req
1236. If I mention it now,
it is only to remind you
Copy !req
1237. of the conclusions
of the psychiatric evaluation.
Copy !req
1238. Sorcery is just the manifestation
of Laurence Coly's hallucinations.
Copy !req
1239. This woman needs medical care
Copy !req
1240. and in prison, she won't receive it.
Copy !req
1241. Condemning her to a lengthy sentence
Copy !req
1242. is, strictly speaking,
condemning her to madness.
Copy !req
1243. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,
I will conclude by mentioning something
Copy !req
1244. that I found deeply touching.
Copy !req
1245. Laurence Coly learned how to be a mother
on the internet.
Copy !req
1246. She tried to do the right thing,
Copy !req
1247. she tried to fight,
Copy !req
1248. to keep going,
Copy !req
1249. but she lost.
Copy !req
1250. There was nobody to help her.
Copy !req
1251. Nobody could understand.
Copy !req
1252. And we still don't understand
Laurence Coly.
Copy !req
1253. Some would have you believe
she's a liar, arrogant,
Copy !req
1254. a manipulator, in short, a monster.
Copy !req
1255. But this very morning,
Copy !req
1256. Laurence told me about a dream,
Copy !req
1257. in which Elise was with her in prison.
Copy !req
1258. When I opened the door of her cell,
Copy !req
1259. Elise ran to hide
under my attorney's gown.
Copy !req
1260. Laurence knows that her daughter
will always be with her,
Copy !req
1261. she is inside her.
Copy !req
1262. What I'm telling you is not poetry,
Copy !req
1263. it is science.
Copy !req
1264. We know that during pregnancy,
Copy !req
1265. the mother's cells and DNA
migrate to the fetus.
Copy !req
1266. It is less known
that the exchange works both ways.
Copy !req
1267. The child's cells also migrate
towards the mother's organs.
Copy !req
1268. They lodge themselves in her body,
Copy !req
1269. from her brain to her toes.
Copy !req
1270. Even after birth,
Copy !req
1271. even if the pregnancy
is not carried to term,
Copy !req
1272. those cells live on,
Copy !req
1273. sometimes throughout a woman's life.
Copy !req
1274. A mother and her child
are thus intertwined
Copy !req
1275. with one another,
in an inextricable manner.
Copy !req
1276. It's inevitable, it's biology.
Copy !req
1277. Do you know what scientists
call these cells?
Copy !req
1278. Chimeric cells.
Copy !req
1279. Like the Chimera, the mythical monster.
Copy !req
1280. A hybrid creature
composed of different animal parts.
Copy !req
1281. A lion's head, a goat's body,
Copy !req
1282. a snake's tail.
Copy !req
1283. So,
Copy !req
1284. members of the jury,
I have come to believe that
Copy !req
1285. we women,
Copy !req
1286. we are all chimeras.
Copy !req
1287. We carry within us,
the traces of our mothers
Copy !req
1288. and of our daughters,
Copy !req
1289. who in turn, will carry ours.
Copy !req
1290. It is a never-ending chain.
Copy !req
1291. In a way, us women, we are all monsters.
Copy !req
1292. But we are terribly human monsters.
Copy !req
1293. Thank you.
Copy !req
1294. Sorry.
Copy !req
1295. So tired.
Copy !req
1296. Katie Henfrey
Copy !req
1297. Subtitling TITRAFILM
Copy !req