The mother of 11-year-old Rosa is launching legal proceedings against the state after filing a complaint in August 2025 alleging rapes of her daughter by Jérôme Barella, now the prime suspect in Lyhanna's death. With her lawyer, she announced a claim for "gross negligence" and a criminal case targeting the handling of the case by investigators, magistrates, and the Ministry of Justice.
A complaint was filed as early as August 2025
Rosa's mother filed a complaint on August 22, 2025. The child, then 10 years old, was interviewed five days later and reported alleged rapes committed between September 2024 and May 2025 at the home of Jérôme Barella in the Gers region. Forensic and psychological examinations were subsequently carried out.
The suspect had still not been questioned.
The case had been passed between several prosecutors' offices before being handed over to the Lectoure gendarmerie in January 2026. At the time of Lyhanna's disappearance, the investigation was still ongoing, and Jérôme Barella had not yet been questioned in the proceedings. This point is now central to the announced lawsuit against the State.
Two procedures announced
Rosa's mother's lawyer, Pierre Debuisson, announced two separate legal actions: a lawsuit against the state in the civil court for "gross negligence," and criminal proceedings for failure to assist a person in danger and endangering the lives of others. These proceedings target the investigators and magistrates who worked on the case, as well as the Ministry of Justice.
Lyhanna found dead in a silo
Eleven-year-old Lyhanna disappeared on May 29 in Fleurance, Gers. Her body was found on June 4 in an old agricultural silo in Puycasquier. Identification was confirmed by DNA comparison, but the cause of death was still undetermined after the initial forensic investigation.
Jérôme Barella is the subject of several legal proceedings
Jérôme Barella, 41, has been formally charged in the Lyhanna case. He is cited in several previous proceedings and reports, including complaints of rape and sexual assault of minors. Some cases had been dismissed, while others were still ongoing. In total, he is now reportedly mentioned in at least nine separate proceedings.
The government is under pressure
In the face of national emotion, Sébastien Lecornu is meeting this Tuesday Several ministers are meeting to discuss child protection and sexual violence. The government wants to expedite the review of a comprehensive bill on gender-based and sexual violence, as well as add new measures to the draft law on child protection. Among the proposals being considered are harsher penalties for serial rape, changes to the statute of limitations, improved information for victims throughout the legal process, and the requirement to provide reasons for dismissing cases of sexual crimes and offenses.
The justice system is being called upon to respond.
The Lyhanna case is now also Rosa's case. The lawsuit filed by her mother aims to establish why an investigation opened in the summer of 2025 did not lead to the suspect being questioned before Lyhanna's death. Beyond the criminal case, it is the very functioning of the judicial system and the protection of children that is being called into question.
