Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse which some readers may find distressing
A woman, aged 54, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by a French court for the torture and subsequent death of her teenage daughter.
Sandrine Pissarra will be required to spend at least two decades in prison before she can be considered for parole, following the passing of her 13-year-old daughter Amandine in August 2020.
Prosecutors presented evidence that Amandine endured severe abuse from a young age, including being punched, kicked, having her hair yanked, and being attacked with a broom.
She experienced the loss of multiple teeth, had her hair forcibly removed, and was confined for extended periods in a windowless storage area, monitored by surveillance cameras while also being denied food.
At her passing, Amandine, who was five feet and one inch tall, weighed only 62 pounds. A medical examination of her death outlined her severe weight and muscle deterioration, as well as septicaemia, a form of blood poisoning often caused by bacteria or toxins.
Following Amandine’s death in Montblanc, Pissarra was brought in for questioning and claimed that her daughter suffered from eating disorders.
Pissarra stated that on the day Amandine died, her daughter had consented to consume a piece of sugar, fruit puree, and a high-protein beverage, after which she began to vomit and ceased breathing.
Nevertheless, the magistrate overseeing the investigation asserted that there was ‘no doubt’ of Amandine experiencing violence at her mother’s hands, who has eight children from three different relationships.
A psychiatric evaluation on Pissarra, referenced by AFP, revealed that she was attempting to ‘transfer her hatred’ of Amandine’s father onto her daughter’s body through the abuse.
As reported by the Metro, Pissarra conceded in court that she mistreated her daughter due to her resemblance to her father.
The mother was detained in May 2021, and her case was recently reviewed by a panel of three professional judges and six public jurors, who unanimously decided on the life sentence, which is the maximum for this offense.
Pissarra’s former partner, Jean-Michel Cros, received a 20-year sentence after being accused by a prosecutor of acting as a ‘collaborator’ who ‘denied Amandine care leading to her death’.
Pissarra’s defense attorneys contended that other responsible adults in Amandine’s life should have taken ‘collective responsibility’ for her welfare, and they sought a ‘fair, reasonable sentence’ for her.
In her closing remarks to the court, Pissarra stated: “I want to apologize to my children, that’s all.”
If you have been affected by these issues or wish to talk to someone confidentially concerning child welfare, the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) is available 24/7, taking calls from the United States, Canada, US Virgin Islands, Guam, and Puerto Rico.