Trial of Halima El Bakhti for the Murder of Inass Touloub
The mother of the four-year-old girl remains silent regarding horrific abuse charges.
1The Trial Begins
The trial of 72-year-old Halima El Bakhti is currently underway at the Blois Assizes Court. She stands accused of acts of torture and barbarity leading to the death of her four-year-old daughter, Inass Touloub. The child's body was discovered on the side of the A10 motorway in August 1987.
2Denials and Memory Gaps
Throughout the proceedings, the accused has consistently claimed memory loss regarding the specific injuries inflicted upon her daughter. While she admits to minor physical discipline, she denies responsibility for the severe fractures, burns, and bite marks identified by medical experts. She maintains that she does not know what occurred.
3Evidence of Severe Abuse
Presiding magistrate Audrey Debeugny confronted the defendant with autopsy photographs showing extensive bruising, untreated fractures, and mutilating bite marks. Experts testified that the bite marks could not have been inflicted by the father, Ahmed Touloub, who is also being tried for complicity. The visual evidence remains central to the prosecution.
4A Moment of Vulnerability
During the questioning, the defendant briefly broke her defensive posture, admitting, 'I was not a human being.' However, she quickly reverted to her previous narrative, attributing the child's death to exhaustion. Her defense attorney, Camille Radot, expressed frustration at her inability to acknowledge the reality of the child's suffering.
5Shifting Blame to Ex-Husband
Halima El Bakhti consistently portrays her ex-husband as a tyrant who exploited her and forced her to leave Morocco. She claims her children lied during the investigation to protect their father. Furthermore, she alleged that she was a victim of witchcraft, claiming her husband poisoned their family dynamic through supernatural means.
6Contradictory Witness Testimony
The testimony of the eldest daughter, who was nine at the time of the incident, contradicts the mother's account. She stated that Inass was already dead and wrapped in a bundle when the family departed for their trip. The daughter claims she saw her sister lying at the foot of the stairs.
7Prosecution Challenges Victimization
The public prosecutor, Anaïs Allio, challenged the defendant's attempts to position herself as the primary victim of the situation. The court remains focused on the fact that the parents were the only two adults present with the child. The defendant continues to reject the prosecutor's attempts to secure a confession.
8The Weight of Justice
This trial serves as a final attempt to uncover the truth behind a decades-old cold case that shocked the nation. As the proceedings conclude, the court must weigh the defendant's persistent denials against the forensic evidence and witness statements. The outcome will determine legal accountability for the child's tragic death.
Original article: 20 Minutes — Trial of Halima El Bakhti for the Murder of Inass Touloub