France: Woman who killed stepfather-turned-husband following 20 years of abuse, set free

Valerie Bacot, a French mother of four who killed her stepfather who raped her at the age of 12 and then became her husband, on June 25 has been convicted of premeditated murder but was set free from any more time in prison. The 40-year-old was subject to two decades of sexual, physical and psychological abuse and the Friday verdict has allowed her to walk free as she was sentenced to one year in prison, the time she already served in preventive detention. The case involving Bacot shooting and killing stepfather-turned-husband Daniel Polette in 2016 with whom she had four children, drew public support and broad attention.

The 40-year-old ad confessed to killing Polette who as per Associated Press, forced Bacot into prostitution. A jury in Chalon-sur-Saone in central France found Bacot guilty of the murder and was handed over a 365-day sentence and a three-year suspended sentence. Reportedly, the prosecutor had earlier requested that Bacot should no be sent to prison saying that she is not a danger to society. The trial reportedly laid bare the degree of control and influence Polette had over Bacot who was 25 years younger than him. 

“Yes, I killed him but if I had not done it, my children would have,” Bacot said.

Valerie Bacot’s story

Valerie Bacot’s life changed when Polette entered her life for the first time in 1992 as her mother’s companion. According to her account, the sexual abuse against her began a few months after that but he began raping her when she was 12. Polette’s sisters had reached out to a social worker and he was eventually arrested in 1995. He was convicted of sexual assaults and spent two tears in prison.

However, following his time in jail, Polette returned to the family home and started abusing Bacot again when she was 17. She said, “When he came back, he said he would leave me alone. My mother had forgiven him. But it started again. Following a rape I got pregnant.”

Following this, Bacot said she was thrown out of the house by her mother and began living with Polette who had total control over her life. She said, “He was beating me, slaps then punches, he throttled me. He was beating and then things were going better” while adding that Polette threatened her with a handgun. In 2002, he even forced her into prostitution as he continued controlling all of her actions. In 2016, following a prostitution-related violent situation, Bacot shot him and her children helped her bury the body. 

IMAGE: AP