The mother of 11-year-old Rosa, another alleged victim of Jérôme Barella, is launching a legal offensive following Lyhanna's death. Her lawyer, Pierre Debuisson, announced a complaint against Gérald Darmanin, the Minister of Justice, before the Court of Justice of the Republic for endangering the lives of others and failing to assist a person in danger.
The action is not only aimed at the minister. Rosa's mother also intends to sue the State for gross negligence, the investigators for their alleged inaction, as well as the public prosecutors' offices in Toulouse and Auch, accused of not having arrested Jérôme Barella soon enough.
Rosa had filed a complaint before Lyhanna's death
Rosa, born in 2014, had filed a complaint with her mother in August 2025 against Jérôme Barella. She reported 50 rapes. which were allegedly committed in the Gers region between 2024 and 2025. The child was interviewed a few days after the complaint was filed. Despite this, Jérôme Barella was not arrested in this case before Lyhanna's disappearance and subsequent death.
This delay is now at the heart of the complaint. Rosa's mother claims to have regularly contacted the authorities and received replies that the case was progressing. She now believes that the case was not actually moving forward.
Lyhanna found dead after six days of searching
Eleven-year-old Lyhanna disappeared on May 29, 2026, in Fleurance, Gers. Her body was found on June 4, six days later. Jérôme Barella, the main suspect, was arrested the day after her disappearance and subsequently charged with kidnapping and false imprisonment. The case immediately gained national attention due to prior complaints and reports against the suspect. Before Lyhanna's death, Jérôme Barella was already involved in several legal proceedings related to accusations of sexual violence against minors.
Repeated warnings, no arrests
Jérôme Barella had already been reported or implicated in several cases before the tragedy. Some proceedings had been dismissed, others had not yet resulted in his being questioned or taken into custody. The complaint filed by Rosa's mother is based on the fact that the authorities had sufficient evidence to act sooner. She accuses the judicial system and the investigative services of failing to protect the children despite several warning signs already being present.
A preliminary report points to serious shortcomings
An initial inspection report revealed a series of errors, delays, and failures in the handling of the Rosa case. It specifically highlighted issues with the transfer of information between jurisdictions, the lack of coordination between departments, and the absence of swift action after the case arrived in the Gers department. The report emphasized that the identified suspect should have been taken into custody much more quickly. It also addressed the workload of magistrates and investigators, without dismissing the question of individual responsibility.
Darmanin under pressure after the tragedy
Gérald Darmanin acknowledged serious shortcomings The investigation into the case has ordered the review of approximately 70,000 complaints concerning children, with a deadline of July 14. This announcement comes amid widespread anger over the judicial handling of sexual violence against minors. On June 22, the Minister of Justice announced an initial assessment of this operation, reporting 1,243 arrests related to offenses against minors in the past week.
A case that has become a symbol of collective failure
For Rosa's mother, Lyhanna's death is not simply the result of an administrative delay. She denounces a failure of protection. Her lawyer speaks of a judicial fiasco and targets investigators, prosecutors, the state, and the Minister of Justice. The legal proceedings now aim to establish whether the authorities committed criminal or administrative errors by not addressing Rosa's accusations quickly enough. Pending further legal action, Jérôme Barella remains presumed innocent of the charges, which have not yet been definitively settled. Rosa's mother's complaint opens a new front in a case that has already become one of the most sensitive of the year.
