A 27-year-old woman from Algeria, Dahbia Benkired, was sentenced to life in prison without parole after being convicted of raping, torturing, and murdering a 12-year-old schoolgirl named Lola Divet in Paris, France. Benkired, described as a “monster devil” by the victim’s family, abducted Lola, raped her, and fatally slashed her throat with scissors and a box cutter. The court heard that Benkired then suffocated Lola by taping her mouth. The sentencing marked a historic moment in French legal history as Benkired became the first woman to receive such a sentence.
During the trial, Benkired remained emotionless as the verdict was delivered, while Lola’s mother and brother, Delphine and Thibault Daviet, were visibly distraught. The case garnered significant public attention in France, with protests outside the court prior to the sentencing. Benkired’s punishment mirrors that of notorious criminals like Salah Abdeslam, a Belgian terrorist involved in the 2015 Paris attacks, who is currently serving a life sentence in solitary confinement.
The Attorney General of France emphasized the heinous nature of Benkired’s crimes, stating that she preyed on Lola for pleasure and should be kept behind bars indefinitely to protect society from her extreme danger. Lola’s mother expressed profound grief in court, recounting the tragic events that led to her daughter’s brutal murder and reflecting on the irrevocable loss suffered by their family.
The sentencing of Dahbia Benkired to an “irreducible life sentence” has reignited debates about the harshest penalty in the French Penal Code, which is often criticized by human rights advocates. Despite calls for the reinstatement of the death penalty for cases like Benkired’s, the legal system upholds the principle of harsh imprisonment as the appropriate punishment for the gravest of crimes.