Journalism of Courage
A 27-year-old woman who raped and killed a 12-year-old girl in Paris has received a whole-life sentence.
The judges and jury ruled that Dahbia Benkired must serve at least 30 years in prison before she can be considered for release. Whole-life terms are very uncommon in France, and Benkired is the first woman to receive one, the BBC reported.
Lola Daviet was killed in October 2022, and her body was found in a storage box in the courtyard of the building where she lived in north-eastern Paris. Benkired, an Algerian national who had been told to leave France, was arrested soon after.
The BBC said her case has been raised by some right-wing and far-right politicians in France because of her immigration status.
Lola’s mother, Delphine Daviet, and her brother attended the court hearing. Her father, Johan Daviet, died in 2024.
Prosecutors asked the court to impose the longest sentence possible. Psychiatric experts told the court that Benkired showed “psychopathic” traits but was otherwise sane, the BBC reported.
The prosecutor told the court: “Make no mistake, no drug treatment can fundamentally transform Ms Benkired’s personality. When there is no illness, there is no treatment.”
Before the jury began its final discussions, Benkired addressed the court briefly: “I ask for forgiveness and what I did is horrible. That’s all I have to say,” she said, according to the BBC.
