Overview

In June 2024, Reims University Hospital alerted authorities after treating a ten-month-old infant brought to the pediatric emergency department in critical condition. The child had extensive bruising, three fractures, eye injuries, and a lacerated liver. The emergency admission followed the concern of the maternal grandmother, who insisted her daughter seek urgent medical attention for the child.

Details of Abuse

The subsequent investigation uncovered deeply disturbing acts of violence, including:

- Repeated physical abuse resulting in multiple injuries—bruises, fractures, and internal lacerations 

- The infant being wrapped in cellophane, with only a hole left for breathing (with visual evidence captured in images/videos) 

- The male partner admitting to slitting the family cat’s throat in the mother’s presence, then discarding the animal’s body

The Defendants

Mother (Paloma C., age 19 at trial):

- Became pregnant at 15 

- Denied mistreating her child and claimed he was “wanted” 

- Asserted she was “paralysed by fear” within a controlling relationship 

- Remained emotionless in court regarding her son’s suffering 

- Four independent witnesses attested to her smoking cannabis near the infant, as well as shouting at and shaking him

Ex-partner (age 28):

- Admitted to being “impulsive and violent” towards the child 

- Initially described cellophane wrapping as a “family game”, later acknowledging the idea was sourced online 

- Self-identified as a “psychopath” 

- Confessed to slashing the cat’s throat in front of the child’s mother

Judicial Outcomes

Both defendants appeared before the Reims Judicial Court on charges of torture and barbarity. On 28 October 2025, the court rendered the following verdicts:

- The ex-partner was sentenced to eight years in prison (having already been held in pre-trial detention) 

- The mother received a five-year prison sentence—a verdict stricter than the prosecutor’s request, as it included no suspension 

- The mother was stripped of all parental rights 

- Both defendants were permanently banned from possessing animals 

- Both have ten days to appeal the sentences

Innocence en Danger participated as a civil party, represented by Mr. Mathias Darmon, supporting the child victim’s rights and contributing to the search for truth.

Condition of the Child

Over a year from the events, the child has been placed in foster care. There are signs of recovery—improved sleep, eating, and walking—but substantial psychological trauma persists. The child cannot tolerate washing or any contact with the face, indicating lasting effects of the abuse.



Prosecutor’s Position

François Schneider, Reims’ public prosecutor, described the case as “absolutely sordid,” strongly denouncing “the total lack of emotion or empathy” exhibited by the defendants. He termed both as “psychopaths,” asserting it was “the meeting of these two psychopaths” that led to this horrific abuse of an innocent child.