The Outreau Case: A French Nightmare is a Netflix original documentary series on the Outreau case, a criminal case of pedophilia which took place between 1997 and 2000 in Outreau in northern France. [1] The series features the child abuse allegations [2] that led to a judicial disaster, revisiting the complex and controversial Outreau case.
The Outreau Case: A French Nightmare | |
---|---|
Genre | Documentary |
Country of origin | France |
Original language | French |
No. of episodes | 4 |
Production | |
Running time | 45 minutes (approx. per episode) |
Original release | |
Network | Netflix |
Release | 2024 |
The series provides an in-depth examination of the Outreau trial, a case that began in the early 2000s in the small town of Outreau, northern France. [3] The case involved allegations of child abuse against several individuals, leading to a series of trials that resulted in wrongful convictions, widespread media attention, and public outrage. Through interviews, archival footage, and expert analysis, the documentary sheds light on the errors and misjudgments that plagued the investigation and trials, highlighting the profound impact on the lives of the accused and the French judicial system. [4]
The Outreau Case: A French Nightmare received positive reviews [5] for its portrayal of the French judicial system and the intricacies and emotional layers of the Outreau trial. [6] It also received praise for its handling of sensitive topics, [7] [8] offering a balanced perspective through interviews with involved parties, including legal experts and journalists. [6] The series examines the judicial missteps [9] and their profound implications Outreau trial's fallout. [10]
Jonathan Delay filed a petition for boycotting the film. [11]
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René Nicolas Charles Augustin de Maupeou was a French lawyer, politician, and chancellor of France, whose attempts at reform signalled the failure of enlightened despotism in France. He is best known for his effort to destroy the system of parlements, which were powerful regional courts, in 1770–74. When King Louis XV died in 1774, the parlements were restored and Maupeou lost power.
The Syndicat de la Magistrature is France's second largest magistrates' trade union in terms of membership after the more conservative Union syndicale des magistrats (USM). It was founded on 8 June 1968 in the direct aftermath of the May 68 events.
The Outreau case refers to a criminal case of pedophilia which took place between 1997 and 2000 in Outreau in northern France and a partial judicial error which led to provisional detentions between 2001 to 2004. Following alerts launched by social services within the Delay family, a long investigation seemed to reveal an extensive pedophile network: around forty adults are accused and around fifty children are potentially victims.
The Wenatchee child abuse prosecutions in Wenatchee, Washington, US, of 1994 and 1995, were the last "large scale Multi-Victim / Multi-Offender case" during the hysteria over child molestation in the 1980s and early 1990s. Many poor and intellectually disabled suspects pled guilty, while those who hired private lawyers were acquitted. Eventually all those accused in these cases were released, and the authorities paid damages to some of those originally accused.
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Guilty is a 2011 French drama film directed by Vincent Garenq about the Outreau trial. Garenq was nominated for the 2012 Best Writing (Adaptation) César Award and Philippe Torreton was nominated as Best Actor.
Geneviève Lhermitte was a Belgian woman who killed all five of her children on 28 February 2007. She killed each of her children by slitting their throats with a kitchen knife stolen from a local grocery store while her husband was visiting family in Morocco. After Lhermitte killed her children, she then tried to kill herself. The suicide attempt failed, and Lhermitte was taken into custody and charged with first-degree murder. She was subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment, and in 2023 she was voluntarily euthanized while incarcerated.
The Judiciary of Virginia is defined under the Constitution and law of Virginia and is composed of the Supreme Court of Virginia and subordinate courts, including the Court of Appeals, the Circuit Courts, and the General District Courts. Its administration is headed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the Judicial Council, the Committee on District Courts, the Judicial Conferences, the Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission, and various other offices and officers.
Patrick Maisonneuve is a French lawyer of criminal law. He began his legal practice in 1979, and is known for taking on widely reviled high-profile clients that other lawyers have shunned. In 2013 and 2014 GQ ranked him the sixth most powerful lawyer of France.
Richard Malka is a French lawyer, comics writer and novelist. As lawyer Malka in 2007 successfully defended Charlie Hebdo editor Philippe Val against charges of racism following the magazine's publication of Mohammad caricatures. Other clients include Clearstream, Dominique Strauss-Kahn and Caroline Fourest.
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Éric Dupond-Moretti is a French-Italian lawyer and politician who was appointed Minister of Justice in 2020 by President Emmanuel Macron. As a criminal defence lawyer, he is renowned for his number of acquittals which earned him the nickname "Acquitator", some of the controversial figures he defended, as well as his outspoken personality.
Frank Berton is a French attorney best known for his work with L'affaire d'Outreau and the November 2015 Paris attacks. He specializes in Penal Law and Press Rights law.
Fabrice Burgaud, is a French magistrate, best known for presiding over the Outreau case in 2004. On February 8, 2006, Burgaud appeared before the members of the French Parliament in a review of his actions as magistrate during that trial.
Jean-Louis Pelletier was a French criminal lawyer.
In French criminal law, the investigation phase in a criminal proceeding is the procedure during which an investigating judge gathers evidence on the commission of an offense and decides whether to refer the persons charged to the trial court.
Outreau, the other truth is a French documentary directed by Serge Garde, released in France on March 6, 2013, and which deals with the French Outreau case.