Thousands of mourners, dressed in white and bearing white flowers, filled the streets of Fleurance, France, on Sunday for a silent march honoring 11-year-old Lyhanna, whose body was found in a farm silo on May 29 after she disappeared from school. The grief-stricken community, joined by local officials but not national politicians per family wishes, demanded accountability after it emerged that the main suspect, identified by authorities as 41-year-old Jerome B., had been accused in four separate complaints of child rape but never convicted. The march, estimated by local authorities at 6,000 participants, reflected both a tribute to the girl and a furious rebuke of a judicial system that allowed a suspected predator to remain free.

4 complaints of rape, 0 convictions: the case of Jerome B.

According to the report, the prime suspect, Jerome B., is a father of two who lived in a neighboring village and had previously worked in schools. Despite facing four complaints alleging rapes of minors, he had never been convicted. The gaps in handling these prior allegations prompted French President Emmanuel Macron to condemn “unacceptable” lapses in the judicial system, as the report notes. Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin, in an unusual public apology to Lyhanna’s family, said he was “furious” over the failures. The case highlights a recurring question in France’s justice system: how a man with multiple serious accusations could remain at large to allegedly strike again.

Justice Minister Darmanin’s holiday-cancelling review of 70,000 cases

Justice Minister Darmanin has taken the extraordinary step of ordering prosecutors to review all complaints concerning children—some 70,000 cases—by July 14, according to his comments on LCI TV reported by AFP. “I will not be going on holiday,” Darmanin said, adding that no senior magistrate will go on holiday until they have met “one by one with the public prosecutors” to assess the situation. This sweeping audit, while unprecedented, comes amid mounting public anger and raises the open question of whether such a massive review can be completed thoroughly in the given timeframe, and what systemic changes might follow.

6,000 silent marchers in Fleurance: a town in mourning and anger

The small town of Fleurance, with a populatin of about 6,000 residents, saw an equal number march in silence under scorching heat. Attendees wore white shirts and tribute t-shirts bearing Lyhanna’s face, carryiing a banner that read “Lyhanna. never again! We love you, we miss you.” The mayor of Fleurance, Gregory Bobbato, told the crowd that “today, we are an angry town, an angry region, an angry country,” calling Lyhanna’s death “the latest act in a tragedy that has been unfolding for far too long.” The community’s grief was palpable, with one aunt apologizing to Lyhanna “for what you went through.” The silent march served not only as a farewell but as a demand that “never again should children be prey for predators who roam with impunity,” according to the report.

The school connection: how the suspect knew Lyhanna

Jerome B. was the father of one of Lyhanna’s school friends, a connection that allowed him access to her. According to the source, he had previously worked as a staff member in schools and lived in the village of Montestruc-sur-Gers, where the entrance sign was covered with a white sheet daubed with “death penalty for paedophiles.” The case has reignited debate about how France’s justice system handles child sexual abuse allegations. One open question remains: what screening or oversight failed to prevent someone with multiple allegations from working near children? As the report notes, participants like Karine Camus, a victim of sexual violence, urged young girls to speak out, while pensioner Manola Martin said “the justice system does nothing for these people.”