sablonneuse

New Site

sablonneuse — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 11:06:45 +0200

Although I will sometimes publish a post here, this blog has moved to a new site HERE.

All previous posts remain here for you to browse.

Invitation to lunch

sablonneuse — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:06:22 +0200

This was the idyllic setting for a barbeque. The hedge has grown since our last visit to this house so you can no longer see the Meuse but the towering hills of the Ardennes are a wonderful sight to enjoy as you have an al fresco meal.

We were invited for Sunday lunch because they had a favour to ask; would we help their younger son with his English during August?

After a champagne aperitif and plenty of food and friendly conversation it was impossible to say no. But when I realised they meant Quentin to stay with us for several days at a time I began to see a few problems.

As far as I'm concerned it would be a pleasure. This young man, now 17, was the tiny baby we looked after when his uncle had a heart attack almost at the same time as we arrived in the village to stay in the holiday home belonging to another of his aunts.

The whole family went into shock. People rushed hither and thither and his mum pushed the baby into my arms with breathless instructions for finding bottles and nappies etc. and disappeared in the car.

Sadly the uncle died and we went to stay in our friends' 'real' house in Charleville, leaving the family to grieve and organise the funeral in the village.

So now, we are going to be left 'holding the baby' again, so to speak. Bear is a bit grumpy about it, especially as I don't know how long he's going to be with us. We kind of arranged that they would bring him next Sunday evening and we'd 'see how it goes'. . . . . .

CC and Jay are sympathetic as they realise the poor lad probably doesn't want to come and live with an English family whom he doesn't know very well but they do feel it is a bit of an imposition.

As far as I'm concerned, I enjoy having visitors but am aware that some of the work will fall on CC and Jay's shoulders if my knee doesn't improve soon. We are all looking forward to meeting Sophie with Chris and Chaddy on Friday and some more friends are coming to stay at the end of August. Trouble is, I can't be sure what will happen with Quentin in between.

It looks as though next month is going to be 'interesting'.

Who dunnit?

sablonneuse — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 21:10:32 +0200

Some time ago we noticed that the 'second telly' -

the one I use to watch French TV - was behaving badly. The colour came and went and sometimes the picture narrowed.

This week we decided to take it to be repaired. The man put it on his bench and connected it while we were there.

"Strange," he mused, "ir's not a fault I've seen before. Leave it with me and I'll ring you within 48 hours."

Yesterday he telephoned to say he could repair it for 75 euros. It was not as bad as he had feared but 'did we have a cat because they had found evidence of liquid. . . .?'

"You mean a cat has done a pee in the television?" I asked.

"Erm, yes. It's quite possible."

"Well we do have six of them so it's highly likely."

We collected it today and the man explained how he had cleaned it all inside.

"Our repairs are guaranteed for three months," he announced as we left.

"Even against cats?"

"No, sorry!"

So who's the guilty party I wonder.

Parsley likes sitting on the computer monitor,

or in the laundry basket.

The twins prefer to share an armchair.

Chloe likes a radiator.

Toby patrols to keep all the girls in order,

but suspect number one is Holly, as she spends quite a lot of time on the boxes behind the television.

Fourniret in Court again

sablonneuse — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 10:44:16 +0200

Yesterday, Michel Fourniret, already serving a life sentence without remission, was before the court again to answer allegations concerning Joanna Parrish.

This 20 year old English girl was found raped and strangled in May 1990. Monique Olivier had accused her husband of the murder but she later retracted her accusation.

Fourniret, himself was more co-operative about answering questions but denied the crime, although he admitted it did have his hallmark.

Lawyers for Joanna's family asked how it was that Monique Olivier knew certain details about the crime and had originally accused him of being the perpetrator.

Fourniret couldn't explain it but said perhaps the police had told her.

After the summer recession the Fourniret's will be back yet again.

UPDATE

sablonneuse — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 16:25:53 +0200

I shall be posting

here from time to

time but, in effect,

this blog has moved

to:

http://sablonneuse.wordpress.com/

All past posts are still here so

feel free to browse.

Fournirets to be transfered

sablonneuse — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 15:26:46 +0200

The prison at Charleville will soon be back to normal. Alpha and Beta, the nicknames of Michel Fourniret and Monique Olivier, are on the point of leaving for other prisons.

He is being taken to Chalons-en-Champagne and she is going to Valencienne. They are still in 'temporary accommodation' until the files are completed for the cases still being investigated.

However, their departure will be a great relief for the local residents. They will have their parking places back and they won't be subjected to the convoys to and from court with sirens wailing.

As for the prison staff, they can, at last get their breath back after 24 hour surveillance over the couple; 25 guards in shifts, checking them every fifteen minutes.

Some of the 'normal' detainees had been sent to other, already overcrowded establishments during the trial and those who remained noticed a difference in the routine with all staff on full alert for Alpha and Beta.

Before the arrival of the Fournirets the prison was already over full with 34 prisoners but only 23 places. However, those who were sent away hope to be returned to Charleville.

It could be said that everyone will breathe a huge sigh of relief to see the back of this couple.

Visit to the Vet

sablonneuse — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 22:22:09 +0200

We have managed to reduce our routine visits to the vet to just three times a year - two cats each time.

Last week it was the turn of Toby and Chloe and we knew that if anyone caught a glimpse of a catbasket they would all disappear under the bed or behind the computer. So I prepared the willow basket and a new cat carrier that the vet had given us last time in the garage and then went to find the victims.

Toby was curled up on an armchair so it was easy to pick him up but when he saw the basket he became amazingly active and it was a bit of a fight to get him in. Chloe, bless her, was more trusting and quite curious about this new bag so she didn't protest too much when I zipped her in.

Toby made loud cries all the way there but Chloe didn't make a sound. Maybe she was too scared. Toby was sick within a few minutes and also did a poo. We had to open the sunroof and the windows - just a bit.

In the waiting room I managed to clean Toby's basket (he's usually carsick so we were prepared) and the receptionist took the 'Carnets de Santé'. The vet invited us in and proceeded to examine her patients before administering the jabs. I remember her when she started, five years ago, and was a bit inexperienced but now she handles the cats with calm assurance and sticks the needle in without making them flinch.

She gave them both a clean bill of health, made sure they didn't have any 'habitants' (such as fleas) and then we went to the desk for her to add up the bill. She didn't have a large bag of cat biscuits in stock but promised to bring them to us this week. it was then we discovered she has lived in our village for the last three years.

The only time I've seen her is at the surgery when we were both waiting for the physio. It was the season for 'bronchiolite' in young children and her seven month old daughter was booked in for her first session of torture.

Yes - torture! From what I gather they squeeze the child's chest to make her cough and it must feel like choking or being asphyxiated. The poor little things cry with terror and as the treatment is on a daily basis most of them start screaming as soon as mum parks the car outside the surgery. I'm sure they don't do that to children in England.

Anyway, to return to the visit to the vet, we bought six phials of 'Advocate' which treats fleas, worms, ticks and earmites (I like to use this twice a year but it's more expensive than Frontline which only repels fleas and ticks) paid in advance for the biscuits and came out with our precious bundles of fur 221 euros worse off. Veterinery charges are increasing but I think they still compare favourably with costs in Britain. All the same, it's definitely worth it to protect them from most diseases, including rabies.

A Good Read

sablonneuse — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 15:36:05 +0200

Some time ago I discovered Susie Vereker's blog and was intrigued by the title of one of her books - 'Pond Lane and Paris'.

Yesterday the package from Amazon was delivered and I was hooked. In the first couple of pages I was immediately drawn to the heroine, Laura, and couldn't put the book down till it was finished.

If you like Joanna Trollope you'll like Susie Vereker but I'm not going to give away any more details about the story.

Having a book in English completely distracted me from my resolve to read in French. I've borrowed Gerald Durrell's "Ma Famille et Autres Animaux" from the library (in large print) but it's slow going.

Yvette has lent me Caligula (Camus) and another play, Clerambard, by Marcel Aymé (whom I'd never heard of), so, you see, that's why I haven't had so much time to write or read blogs recently.

Meanwhile, I apologise for the lack of anything interesting to report regarding daily life chez-nous.

Fourniret - is it really all over?

sablonneuse — Thu, 29 May 2008 16:38:32 +0200

After a hearing lasting 35 days Monique Olivier and Michel Fourniret entered their box surrounded by police.

For the first time since March 27th, the jurors appeared relieved. All present held their breath as the verdict was read out.

Michel Fourniret was sentenced to life imprisonment with no remission or early release. Such a sentence has only been passed three times so far.

Monique Olivier also got life but may be eligible for release after 28 years.

It is pretty certain that neither of the accused will appeal.

However, the Fournirets were given this warning:

"N'imaginez surtout pas que la police et la justice belges et francaises vont vous laisser tranquilles"

"Don't imagine for a moment that the Belgian and French police and justice will leave you in peace."

They are gathering evidence implicating the couple in the disappearance of Marie-Angele Domece and the murder of Joanne Parrish.

There could be another Fourniret trial.

Fournirets' defence and sentence

sablonneuse — Wed, 28 May 2008 14:04:12 +0200

After more than a month of prosecution testimony the last two days have been given over to an attempt at finding a defence argument for the Fourniret couple.

On Monday, Monique Olivier's lawyer could only argue that although she had no alternative but to admit her guilt, her crimes were slightly less horrific than her husband's, and therefore, he hoped that her sentence might be a bit more lenient.

Yesterday, it was the turn of Fourniret's counsel. How does one defend the indefensible? Just one of his crimes should merit a life sentence but the court had endured a whole catalogue of horror.

If he searched for a grain of humanity he couldn't find one. All he could say at the end of his summing up was that Fourniret would not appeal.

At three o'clock the sitting was almost over. The accused were asked if they had any final words. Monique Olivier mumbled her regrets. Fourniret wanted to read out more of his scribblings - some even in verse.

His lawyer held his head in his hands.

One of the victim's fathers muttered. "Pauvre type".

All rests now in the hands of the jury.

The Sentence:

Fourniret is to serve the rest of his life in prison. His wife is to serve 28 years.

The families of their victims will also serve the rest of their lives mourning the young girls who fell prey to this evil pair.

Fourniret and Olivier - trial nears the end

sablonneuse — Thu, 22 May 2008 15:45:56 +0200

During this week many lawyers and expert witnesses reached the conclusion that Fourniret and his wife were equal partners in crime. Indeed, she may even have masterminded the operation, or at least given him his 'licence to kill'.

One advocate said to Olivier, "Vous etes une insulte aux femmes." "You are an insult to women"

She likened the accused to the wolf in Red Riding Hood and a witch: Fourniret ensnaring his victims with politeness and Olivier, cunning as an old crone.

At least, Fourniret knew how to tell his daughter he loved her but Olivier seemed unable to understand love in any form. She showed not the slightest compassion for their victims when she lured them into the traps which would lead to their death.

It is not surprising then that they are asking for the same penalty for both the 'executioner and his accomplice'.

The families are not seeking pity nor revenge. All they want is justice and the knowledge that lessons have been learned from this case. There were many weaknesses in the judicial system which allowed the Fournirets to get away with murder for far too long.

Serial killers are, more often than not, caught by chance and not because of an allout effort to find them.

One lawyer pointed out mistakes made by magistrates, and other incompetent goings on which extended Fourniret's freedom to carry on. At the moment the French judiciary comes out badly compared to the system in Belgium.

All the families of the victims share the hope that criminals like these will be caught before they can commit so many heinous crimes again.

Fourniret breaks his silence

sablonneuse — Sat, 17 May 2008 12:11:19 +0200

(Other posts on the lighter side of life to be found here)

This week, according to the local paper, Fourniret started speaking and it was difficult to stop him.

When the news first hit the headlines and there was talk of finding bodies in a Chateau he had once owned I remember wondering how he could have lived in such apparent luxury.

The answer came this week.

He had been in prison with a certain Jean-Pierre Hellegouarch and the pair had become friendly. Jean-Pierre promised Fourniret a share of his booty from a previous crime if he would 'rescue' it before the rest of the gang claimed it.

Fourniret agreed but when he was released he killed Jean-Pierre's wife and took the 80 kilos of gold for himself. When J-Pierre appeared as a witness he explained how he had tracked them down over a year later and even fired a couple of shots at him but missed.

In his testimony he described his wife, aged 30 at the time, and said there was no need to kill her to steal the gold.

Fourniret decided to speak about his crimes, relishing the details and not sparing the feelings of his victims' families.

He likened himself to a poacher, hunting for prey but despite his verbosity and precision he was tripped up over the case of Marie, who escaped his clutches. He tried to say that he let her escape because he wanted to be arrested to put an end to his activities.

It was pointed out that her wrists were bleeding because he had tied her so tightly. It was obvious he was trying to twist the truth to suit himself.

As for Monique Olivier, the court tried to come to a conclusion about her mentality and personality. A psychologist for the defence wasn't able to testlfy but several experts for the prosecution claimed that there was no evidence of mental illness, that she knew perfectly well what she was doing in helping her husband and showed not the slightest compassion for their victims. They dismissed her claims of being a passive slave to his will.

Fourniret's wives give evidence

sablonneuse — Thu, 08 May 2008 16:31:14 +0200

(The lighter side of life in France is now to be found on my other blog, here.

Both of the previous wives of Michel Fourniret had been won over by a man who seemed kind and considerate, a hard worker who seduced them by his way with words and his letters to them.

Annette was his wife for four years. She said their marriage had no major problems until the time he attacked a child in his car. It was the daughter of one of Annette's employees and it spelt the end of their marriage.

She never remarried but brought up their son on her own. Fourniret seemed to take a wicked pleasure in blaming her for setting him on the path of crime because she had lost her virginity to another before they were married.

When she asked him to break his silence his hatred of her was apparent.

However, he was much better disposed towards his second wife, Nicole. She, too had been seduced by his love letters and they married after a short courtship. But she explained that she felt she never really knew the real Fourniret. After thirteen years of marriage, when he was arrested for a series of rapes and sexual assaults, Nicole divorced him.

A police officer who tried to gain his confidence at that time was convinced that he was still in love with Nicole.

Their children, Jean-Christophe, now 44, and Anne, 36 had never really known their father but these three people are the only ones whom Fourniret seems to care about.

When Nicole asked him to speak, he sobbed and eventually promised that he would break his silence. But he said before saying anything in public he would have to try to gather his thoughts together.

We shall see if he keeps his promise.

Fourniret sheds a tear.

sablonneuse — Wed, 07 May 2008 15:52:30 +0200

Fourniret's elder brother, André gave the impression of being an honest man, very intelligent and not in the least like his sibling, who appeared even more insignificant, stuck behind his glass screen, obstinately mute.

André prefers to be known as Fournier nowadays but that doesn't mean he wants to deny his relationship with his brother. However, he admitted to being pulled in opposite directions, not wanting to to attack a close relative but not being able to defend a murderer and paedophile.

He wanted to tell the families of the victims, face to face, that his sympathy for them was stronger than his blood ties.

Fot the last five years he had been trying to understamd the dual personality that made up his brother: the 'good Michel', kind and hardworking and the 'bad', an assassin he could only condemn.

He demystified Michel's pretensions of being ultra clever - some sort of super being - with the words:

"Son intelligence est surfaite. Il a une bonne memoire. C'est un pseudo-intellectual, megalomane, excellente manuel, mais sans competence administrative ou commerciale."

"His intelligence is over-rated. He has a good memory. He is a pseudo-intellectual, megalomaniac, excellent with his hands but has no administrative or business sense."

He went on to dismiss claims of incest between Michel and their mother or sexual abuse of their sister by Michel, as sheer fantasy. He described their parents as a well balanced couple.

When asked about the humiliation claimed by his brother, André explained that he had a complex about his small stature, but this wasn't enough to turn him into a killer.

His theory as to why Michel refuses to speak at his trial is this: 'he is made up of two personalities, like a werewolf. Inside his head he is a martyr and the tragic loss of two of his own children reinforces this. According to this persona he has done nothing wrong but when both sides of his personality come together and he tries to reconcile black and white he could kill himself.'

"Do you think he would have spoken 'in camera?'" asked one of the mothers.

"He would have spoken but he wouldn't have said anything" was the response.

When asked at what point his brother changed, André was convinced it was when he met Monique.

'He needed an audience, an accomplice, an alibi, material assistance and someone with a passive nature so that he could show himself as all-powerful.'

Then it was the turn of Dominique Catoire to take the stand: the daughter of his late employer, Georges Catoire - a man he idolised.

He showed not the slightest emotion during the descriptions of rapes and murders of his young, innocent victims but bringing up his past when he worked for Georges Catoire was enough to crack the hard shell he had so meticulously built up during his trial.

Dominique reminded him that her father had taught him love and respect and that he would be ashamed of him. Fourniret cracked and shed a tear.

The lawyers tried to press home the advantage but Fourniret would not respond. He quickly put up his wall of silence to hide behind. His ultimate protection.

Monique Olivier's Character

sablonneuse — Tue, 06 May 2008 11:58:30 +0200

(For everyday stories about living in France please see my other blog here.)

The court has been trying to uncover the true personality of Monique Olivier. Was she another victim, under the thumb of Fourniret or was she his accomplice?

The three main witnesses gave conflicting evidence.

Her brother, Michel Olivier, appeared indifferent to her fate and was more concerned that he wouldn't be shown on television.

He remembered a happy childhood but claimed he couldn't keep track of Monique's "vie mouvementée" as they grew older.

He described her as having a sturdy character, not someone you could push around.

Her ex partner, André Michaux, on the other hand, spoke of a somewhat bewildered person - rather withdrawn. He had used her as a model for some of his paintings but most of them had been destroyed in the fire caused by Fourniret as part of the her revenge.

Monique had accused him of humiliating and torturing her but he denied doing anything to her.

"Vous n'etes qu'une menteuse, une infabulatrice. Je vous ai sauvée de plusieurs merdier. De celui-ci, je ne peux pas."

"You're nothing but a liar and story teller. I've saved you from several sticky situations but I can't get you out of this one."

He went on to describe how he was aware of being hunted and of having three attempts on his life.

"People thought I was mad. They even made me see a psychiatrist".

At this point Fourniret fixed him with an evil glare.

Michaux accused him of being a coward because he attacked little girls openly but only dared go after a man behind his back.

The rest of his evidence didn't go well for Monique. He told how he had brought up their two sons alone, sometimes having to sleep in the car for lack of money: how he had even taken in Selim, the son she had with Fourniret.

The third witness was her eldest son, Murphy, a young man of 28. He may have seemed relaxed from his appearance wearing bermuda shorts and sandals but he came over as confused and nervous when he had to speak.

He couldn't bring himself to refer to Fourniret by name. He called him "Cet individu", "ce personnage" or even "cette chose" (that thing). As a young child he hated him because everyone had to do what he said and they were so nervous they would jump at the slightest noise.

When they asked him why he thought his mother stayed with Fourniret he said he didn't know. He claimed she was always in a nervous state and must have felt trapped..

Thye asked about his father, André Michaux. The young man replied that he had always done his best for the boys, given them a good education and never been violent.

When the Fournirets were imprisoned it was Murphy who went to fetch his half brother, Selim, and André had no problems welcoming him under his roof.

André's one big question was "Comment se fait-il qu'une femme puisse amener ses enfants aupres d'un tuer multirecidiviste?"

(How can it be that a woman could let her own children near a serial killer?)

Fourniret - the parents reaction

sablonneuse — Sun, 04 May 2008 14:59:43 +0200

"Vous croyez être un homme ? Pour moi, vous êtes un rien du tout. (...) Est-ce que moi je ferais ça ? Est-ce que je ferais ça à ta petite fille, à une petite Fourniret",

"Do you consider yourself to be a man? In my opinion you're nothing (.....) Would I do a thing like that? Would I do such a thing to your daughter, to a little Fourniret."

These were the words of Kanyarat Thumpong, the mother of Mananya whom Fourniret abducted in may 2001 when she was just 13.

Playng his silly games as usual, Fourniret continued to deny rape but admitted kidnap and murder.

The young girl's stepfather, however, brought him down to size with the words:

Surtout ne vous levez pas, c'est la hauteur qui vous convient. Merci de vous être tu. Merci de ne pas ajouter à la cruauté de vos actes, la cruauté de vos paroles",

"Above all, don't stand up, that's the height you should be. Thank you for keeping silent. Thank you for not adding the cruelty of your words to the cruelty of your actions."

Just before that he had spoken with emotion of how the young girl would have been 21 now, if someone hadn't put an end to her life.

A different story

sablonneuse — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 11:35:32 +0200

(For anyone looking for my usual news about life in France please go to my new blog here.)

Yes, the paper has mentioned the Fourniret trial, and this week they are examining the case of a 14 year old Belgian girl. Fourniret approached her while she was waiting for a train.

He offered her money and the chance of a job at a bakers if she would get in his car and go to the next village with him.

She refused and he tried to drag her away. Fortunately she managed to escape and board her train. When he was arrested Fourniret admitted talking to her but denied offering money or using force.

On the same page, though, there was the story of another trial: a sixty year old woman accused of cutting off her partner's penis.

She claims that it was his dog who was the culprit because he always let it sleep with him. Indeed, the police found no trace of a suitable weapon nor the missing appendage but subsequent examination of the dog's faeces didn't show any sign that he had eaten it either.

Despite the fact that the apartment hadbeen cleaned, there was evidence of blood in various rooms, including the toilet so they suspect she flushed it down the loo.

The man doesn't remember how it happened because he was very drunk at the time. The woman called the ambulance and he was found, fully clothed and soaked in blood. The doctors did what they could to save his life but couldn't replace what was missing.

The man maintains that his dog could not be the guilty party because he 'only ever ate raw meat.'

He will not be present at the trial because he has been suffering severe psychological problems since the incident.

Fourniret under fire

sablonneuse — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 13:33:58 +0200

Feelings ran high this week as Fourniret was being examined about the abduction and murder of a local girl, Celine Saison, aged 18.

She disappeared on her way home and her body was found some time later. She had been strangled.

Fourniret admitted the murder but kept denying he had raped her until the very last minute, when he answered a direct question in a roundabout way, acknowledging his guilt.

Celine's family had relived the horror of her disappearance but then her father looked the murderer straight in the eyes and told him he hated him so much he hoped he would live long enough to spit on his grave. There was a ripple of applause form the listeners outside the courtroom.

The people of Charleville, however, were much more vociferous in their condemnation. When the Fourniret couple left the court to return to prison there were insults and threats including a wish to tear them to shreds.

Later, the local paper interviewed a man at Floing who had Fourniret as a neighbour for three years.

He had found him distant, but polite and and correct. Not the sort of chap you could have a joke with - except one odd time when he turned up at a village party in drag - dressed as a prostitute!

Otherwise, in retrospect, the man wondered if he was being groomed as a witness, when, for example, Fourniret made a point of coming to speak to him in the morning in his slippers and pyjamas, after a night when he had returned home in the early hours.

If he asked a question which Fourniret wished to avoid he would reply, "If anyone asks you, tell them you know nothing."

Fourniret this week

sablonneuse — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 15:08:58 +0200

In the third week of his trial Fourniret faces an inquiry into the attempted rape of a young girl in a 'poodle parlour' in Belgium.

He entered her shop in the late afternoon wearing a hooded jacket and armed with a stolen gun. He claimed the police were looking for him because he had shot an officer, and after making sure the girl was alone he made her lie on the floor.

He then had to let her get up again to give him the keys to the shop. He locked the door, pulled down the blinds and switched off the lights, still threatening her with the gun.

He tied her hands behind her back with a scarf after first attempting to put handcuffs on her. Then he took her through to the room behind the shop where he made her undress and attampted to rape her.

She fought off her aggressor and convinced him she was pregnant. According to her, Fourniret hit her head against the shower and threatened her with a knife pointed at her stomach before fleeing with her purse containing money and two bank cards. He made her tell him the codes but wasn't able to draw out any money when he later tried to use cash dispensers at Jambes and Namur.

Founiret confessed in July 2004, admitting that the crime was premeditated. However, he denies hitting the girl or threatening her with a knife.

Will he speak today or continue to annoy the court with his obstinate silence?

For the lighter side of life chez-nous please see my other blog.

Fourniret makes a despicable offer

sablonneuse — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 15:15:21 +0200

Yesterday the court was examining the facts surrounding the disappearance of Natacha Danais, a thirteen year old victim of the Founirets.

While Maitre Seban was interrogating him over certain discrepancies in his story, Founiret broke his silence to make a chilling offer. He knew that the parents of an English girl, Joanna Parrish, who went missing at the same time as Natacha, were present in the courtroom, and declared he was willing to meet them face to face and talk about their daughter.

This caused momentary confusion among the magistrates but they decided to continue their original line of investigation.

Fourniret went so far as to say that his memory, though detailed and precise was not infallible and so as soon as he was pressed further to explain what had happened to Natacha he sat down and went silent.

It was left to Monique Olivier to give her version: they were on their way back to the Ardennes after appearing in court for burning down a workshop belonging to André Michaut, Monique's former partner (because she wanted revenge). Fourniret spotted Natacha on the carpark of a commercial centre and decided this 'petit sujet' was going to surrender her virginity to him.

They persuaded her to get into the back of their van. Olivier claimed she was walking her dog when he murdered her. Her body was found on a beach a few days later.

The saddest part of the story came from Natacha's family. They spoke of the carefree, happy child they knew and loved: of the trip to the supermarket where the mother discovered she had left her purse at home. Natacha was sent to fetch it. She asked one of her sisters to go with her.

"But I said 'no'." she sobbed.

Fourniret's worst crime?

sablonneuse — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 09:25:03 +0200

Today the court will be full of Belgian reporters because they are going to examine the kidnapping of Fourniret's youngest victim, Elisabeth Brichet, just 12 and a half, on the outskirts of Namur when she was on her way home. It was December 1989.

Founiret had spied on her for three hours, driving around in his van with Monique Olivier and their baby, before pouncing - persuading her to get into the van to show them the way to a doctor for their son. No-one witnessed him taking her, right there in the street in broad daylight.

He drove into France and took her to his house in Floing where she was assaulted. She was kept tied to a bed all night and then put in the boot of his car fr the drive to the chateau at Sautou.

He assaulted her again and then strangled her. Her body was kept in a freezer for several days before he buried her in the grounds of the chateau.

Her mother and the Belgian police tried desperately to find her for 15 years until Fourniret confessed to the crime and told them where they could find her remains in July 2004.

Her anorak and identity papers were found and her head was covered in plastic 'to protect her from the earth' claimed the murderer.

This must surely be one of his most horrific crimes.

Today he is being prosecuted for false imprisonment and murder, preceded by attempted rape of a minor. Monique Olivier is accused of being his accomplice.

Fourniret at Floing

sablonneuse — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 17:44:51 +0200

Yesterday the local paper reported a story apart from the actual trial.

It seems a farmer at Floing saw Fourniret leaving a forest pathway at the wheel of a van back in 1990. A few months later he discovered a mound of earth the size of a grave.

He thought no more of it at the time because he was used to people with metal detectors searching for artifacts left over from the war and digging up their finds, but when he saw news of Fourniret's arrest it rang alarm bells.

Their eyes had met as Founiret drove out of the forest via a path which had no exit in the opposite direction. Could he have been burying another victim?

The farmer contacted the police and they came to take a statement at his farmhouse. However, he doesn't remember taking them to see the mound in the woods and he hasn't heard any more about it.

According to a police spokesman his story was too vague.

"C'est bidon, cette histoire" (It's a load of old codswallop).

However, there's a very interesting point in the farmer's story. He was adamant that Fourniret was not driving the big van that has been shown so much on the television.

He described a small white van, the size of the Post Office vans.

Now, the paper has discovered that Fourniret acquired just such a van - a Citroen C15 - in May 1990 and sold it five months later.

He also lived in Floing from 1988 until 1991.

I'd have thought that was enough to warrant further investigation, wouldn't you?

For the lighter side of French life try my other blog.

Fourniret - cold as stone

sablonneuse — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:00:33 +0200

The father of Jeanne-Marie has been grieving for his daughter since 1989, his wife had died of a broken heart, but Fourniret stood, stubbornly silent and unmoved before this old man in his wheelchair, who had summoned up his remaing strength to sit through this trial.

The Fournirets had hatched an obscene plot to trap the young girl. Using the name Jadot they spent two months gaining her confidence - a 'chance' meeting at the station - a compliment on her good standard of education - discussion of religious topics (because Jeanne-Marie was boarding at a convent) and this naive and trusting girl soon regarded them as friends.

When they invited her to stay at their house and babysit for them she was thrilled. According to a friend she thought it would be a chance to earn some pocket money. One of the nuns remembers a call from a woman with a mellifluous voice asking after her when she was ill. This was just a few days before her disappearance.

Her body was found in 2003, her face stuck carefully with sellotape in the form of a cross.

According to his earlier confession Fourniret admitted that she had screamed and struggled and broken a window so they had bound and gagged her and finally silenced her forever.

Her last words were:

"Dieu vous punira!"

In case you think I'm writing about nothing but this trial, the lighter side can be found on my other blog.

Founiret speaks again

sablonneuse — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 16:48:15 +0200

The lawyers finally goaded him into speech but he still refused to stand. It seems he doesn't like to be disturbed when he's scribbling away in his glass box.

The representatives of Fabienne Leroy's family were trying to find out about two needle marks on her forearm. In his 2004 confession he had acknowledged injecting her just once "to calm her" but there was nothing in the syringe but air.

Was he tryng to kill her by causing an embolism?

Eventually he shouted out, "Je suis en colère parce que je vous ai entendu proférer des aneries au sujet d'Estelle Mouzin."

(I'm angry because you've been talking nonsense about Estelle Mouzin).

Strange, because this young girl (abducted at the age of 9) does not feature in this trial.

The lawyer tried to force him back to the point by asking if he was practising experiments on his victims but Founiret lapsed into silence once again.

Founiret speaks briefly

sablonneuse — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 11:06:23 +0200

All he said was "You can't ask pardon for the unpardonnable."

Monique Olivier, on the other hand, mumbled into her microphone and changed her story - not for the first time.

They were investigating the kidnapping, rape and shooting of Fabienne Leroy in 1988.

Monique was 8 months pregnant and Fourniret persuaded the young girl to get into their car to direct them to the hospital.

"He must have told her I needed a doctor" whimpered Monique.

Instead, he drove into the country, 'forced' Monique to point a gun at her while he tied her hands and then made her lay on the ground.

According to her original confession Monique then checked that the girl was a virgin, but yesterday she claimed she refused to do it and Founiret swore at her and chased her away.

Minutes later she heard a gunshot but apparently asked no questions when she got back in the car and they drove home.

The girl had been raped and then shot in the heart. Her body was found the next day.

Fourniret has already confessed to this crime. Why does he refuse to speak now?

If Monique wasn't implicated up to her neck as well why didn't she shoot the ba****d when she had the gun in her hand?

For a less serious take on French life try my other blog.

Fourniret Trial Update

sablonneuse — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 20:57:26 +0200

Reading about the Fourniret trial has certainly had me searching through the dictionary this week.

The monster regards himself as something special and he refuses to speak except 'á huis clos' - in camera. He holds up silly notices instead of talking and has written long letters implying that he's longing to tell the families all they want to know but they won't hear a word in public.

They have even had to drag him forcibly into court because he tried to avoid attending.

However, the first important witness for the prosecution, Marie, who managed to escape and therefore bring about his arrest was able to look him in the eye and describe how she won the day.

He had persuaded her to get nto his van, then tied her hands together and pushed her into the back. She managed to free her hands and undo the sliding door. Just as she was wondering if she dare risk injury by jumping out, he pulled up for a 'Stop' sign. She took her chance and escaped - ever fearful that he would ' me répérer' ( this could mean see her or catch her) and was picked up by a lady in a car behind.

Fourniret had done a U turn and she recognised her attacker. The lady took down the registration number and Founiret was arrested. The judge was able to say that this young girl, aged 13 at the time, was clever enough to outwit Fourniret.

The following day saw an analysis of the letters between Monique Olivier and Fourniret while he was in prison for sex offences in 1987. She began by calling him 'mon petit taulard' - my little convict - but later used stronger words such as 'fauve' - wild animal - and tiger.

He called her his 'carpe'.

They made a pact that he would kill her previous husband if she would procure him a virgin. He felt frustrated because he hadn't had 'ce que lui revenait' (what was coming to him?*)when his wife revealed on their wedding night that she had already slept with someone else.

And so the unholy partnership began.

Monique Olivier tried to tell the court that she was just a pawn in Fourniret's game but once it was disclosed that she played an important role in the murder and rape of Isabelle - she had picked up the girl and then he had stopped them along the road brandshing a petrol can. They pretended not to know each other and he got in the back of the car. He silenced the girl by putting a scarf round her neck and she made her take 'something to calm her down.' Then they drove back to their house and carried the unconscious victim inside.

The judge dismissed Olivier's claims that she was an unwilling bystander and remarked "What is the significance of the fact that your son was born 9 months and two days after the murder of Isabelle?

Isabelle's parents had some words for Fourniret:

Vous etes un homme petit, petit. Pas par la taille (.......) Vous etes laid a l'interieur.

You are an insignificant little man. Not in height (........) You are ugly (rotten) on the inside.

How right they are.

* If anyone bilingual can translate my guess as to the meaning of revenir in this sense I'd be grateful. My dictionary gave lots of meanings that didn't really seem relevant -including 'faire revenir la viande' - to brown meat.

And for something more light-hearted try my other blog here.

Saga of Tiling

sablonneuse — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 13:36:26 +0200

Pascal rang on Friday evening to say he'd be round on Saturday.

Wow, we might get a full day's work done!

His 8 o'clock arrival was more like 25 past and he has come to expect a coffee laced with whisky before embarking on his labours.

By lunchtime he was saying he hoped to finish by the evening.

But - during the afternoon there were sounds of swearing. He came to find me, looking a bit sheepish.

"You have got more of those pink tiles in the attic haven't you?"

Now the pink tiles were left over from a previous job (by the original owner) and Pascal had calculated that there were enough to do the top part of the walls. As it was no longer possible to buy more I had chosen blue for the lower half and 'shelves' with a pink and blue freize in between - also left overs found in the attic.

I distinctly remember suggesting to Pascal that if there was a danger of running out of pink tiles, maybe he could do a second row of freize and finish with blue again at the top.

"No, I've counted them. There will be enough." he said, dismissively.

Now it was a different story. He was three short. And he had used up all the frieze to decorate the shelves.

We searched the attic in vain for matching pink tiles.

"I thought you had counted them." I ventured.

Yes, but he hadn't taken into account the fact that the ~~understairs cupboard~~ new loo is not symmetrical and therefore the left side is longer than the right side.

"Well, we'll just have to finish off with blue". I said.

Pascal was all for ripping off the top row from the other side as well but as that would involve lots of cutting minute fragments to fit I couldn't bear the thought of all that extra time and mess (and money).

"Non!" I protested. "We'll live with it. People won't notice."

Pascal gave an exhasperated shrug and muttered something about "Vous anglais...."

At least, by 5.30 the tiling was finished and he graciously gave me the opportunity to clean all the mess off the walls and floor while he washed his tools in the garage.

(Bear is, at this moment, trying to unblock the sink which is solid with a kind of concrete resulting from that little operation).

Pascal then spent quite a long time repairing the flush mechanism when he put the toilet back. (I'm convinced it stopped working as a result of his constant removing it to the garage).

It was then time for an 'apero' of beer and whisky before he wandered off home.

"I'll be back to do the grouting." were his parting words.

Pity he didn't say when that might be.

The Founiret Trial

sablonneuse — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 19:03:29 +0100

A few days ago we were walking round town, minding our own business when a young lady approached us, stuck a microphone on my face and asked,

"Do you live locally? Have you heard about the Fourniret trial?"

I told her we lived near and, yes, we knew about the trial. The local paper has been full of it. Two notorious serial murderers moved to the prison to be tried in Mezieres from tomorrow: the resultant disruption to parking has already been well broadcast and they estimate the total cost could be over a billion euros.

She held the microphone closer to my face.

"Can you tell me what you think about it then?"

I wanted to let rip with my feelings about a lifelong rapist and murderer whose first conviction dates back to when he was 25 (he's now in his 60's) and how he could be allowed to get away with it for so long - and how, if he's proved guilty, they should lock him up in a deep dark cellar and throw away the key. . . . . .

But my French deserted me and I could only babble about how terrible it must be for the victim's parents to have to sit through this all over again, listening to such a monster going over his crimes.

Hopefully, it was not a live programme and no-one will actually hear what I said.

But, tomorrow, Michel Founiret starts his trial for the kidnap, rape and murder of about seven of his victims.

His wife, Monique Olivier, in an attempt to make things easier for herself, has accused him of twelve murders but, since she was a party to 'befriending' and enticing some of the victims into their trap, she is also on trial.

Fourniret himself has already 'helped' the police by explaining where certain remains were hidden but, so far, he has been a difficult, slippery and crafty customer.

In some of his previous convictions he actually had suspended sentences (!!!) but, if French justice is to retain any credibility I should think they will have to keep him behind bars for the rest of his life.

The people of Charleville can't be too happy about this high profile case unfolding on their doorstep but they'll have to put up with it for the next few months.

It is mentioned on the BBC website here.

Out with the Old and In with the New

sablonneuse — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 20:40:38 +0100

After the recent municipal elections it's a case of out with the old and in with the new.

On March 9th three lists* were put to the village electorate. The results came out very close with the 'maire sortant' (outgoing mayor) just a little bit ahead.

People from the two opposing lists who gained the most votes then combined forces to produce an opposing team of fifteen names to go forward to the vote on March 16th - and they won by a small majority.

It's amazing how many runours went flying round the village during these elections. I don't consider myself to be in the thick of things, and there's a language problem as well, but I heard whispers of mistresses, ladies of easy virtue, fraud, family feuds and vengeance.

Some people received poison pen letters and some pretty nasty circulars went around saying negative things about the outgoing mayor.

So, you could say feelings were running high.

The winning list voted for the mayor and four deputies last Friday and we now have a lady maire with two men and two women as her adjoints.

Some people are pleased to see the back of the old regime while others are very worried about what the new council will get up to.

Only time will tell.

* Every town and village in France voted for a new Maire this month. The candidates put forward a list of names to serve as counsellors. In Charleville there were 45 people on each list but in our village there were only 15. In communes of less than 1500 inhabitants it is permitted to cross out names on the list you are voting for and substitute others. It then seems that everyone's individual votes are counted. Those who get enough votes can go through to the second round as part of a list of 15 - but the second round is usually between just two lists.

This post also appears on the new blog - here.

Session with the neuropsychologist

sablonneuse — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 20:22:55 +0100

Today Bear had his appointment with the neuropsychologist.

As we hadn't received a letter about this rendezvous I rang the hospital yesterday to find out if we had to present ourselves at the 'bureau d'admissions' first since we'd been told to do this at the last outpatient consultation.

The lady on the phone didn't seem to know so she gave me some Mozart to listen to while she made enquiries. About 50 bars of music later she returned.

“Yes, you do need to come here first.” she assured me.
This afternoon we duly waited our turn behind two other people only to be told that we should go straight to 'tests de memoire'

We followed the directions, took the lift to the first floor and came to another waiting area where a group of three people were chatting.

“”Excuse me please, do we have to see a receptionist on arrival?” I asked the lady nearest me.

“No, they just call you in.” was her response.

They continued chatting but when they mentioned the doctor it was not the one we were due to see.

“Do you know if this is right for Dr. G? “ I asked.

“No. I don't think so,”she said. “Is it for a memory test?”

“No, not this time. I'd better ask.”

There were voices coming from the room marked 'consultations' and the door was open so I tapped and enquired.

“Yes, you're in the right place.” was the response.

Sure enough, at precisely 14.00 a door opened and a young man came forward to ask for us.

He looked about 18.

I could sense Bear's lack of confidence in him immediately.

He invited us in but when he realised he was going to have to cope with someone who was reluctant to speak French he seemed a bit taken aback.

“Some of the tests are a bit complicated. Oh well, we'll have to do the best we can and avoid the verbal ones where possible.”.

First of all he showed us a series of 25 pictures – small modern art type drawings – and said Bear had to try to remember them for later.

Bear made it clear he wasn't going to take it seriously. He was joking about 'what 7 year old child could have drawn this rubbish' and he kept turning round to make comments to me instead of studying the pictures. So it was not surprising that when the time came to pick out the ones he had seen when they were presented to him in groups of four – only one of which he had been shown before – he didn't score very well.Mind you there were one or two that I wasn't sure about either!

He was asked to copy a geometrical drawing to the best of his ability, but he didn't try very hard. After some other tests involving copying hand movements he was asked to draw the same picture again from memory. He made a mess of that.

“I get the impression he doesn' t really want to do these tests” said the young doctor.

“Yes, he's behaving like a naughty schoolchild, isn't he?”

Then he produced a board with about fifteen blue cubes stuck on in a random pattern.and asked Bear to touch them in the same order that he did. He managed quite well until it came to five at a time. Then the Doctor said he wanted him to touch them in reverse order. Bear did two and three with no problem but once it got to four he gave up trying.

This doctor had not been given the results of the MRI scan Bear had done a couple of weeks ago but he asked about them at the office when he saw us out.

The secretary produced the envelope and Dr G had a quick look through.

“Ah, Dr T. will explain all this to you when you see her on February 6th”, were his parting words.

It's difficult to know who was the more relieved to say goodbye – Bear or the young doctor.

P.S. This is also being posted on another site. Have a look and see what you think. Keith is still working on it but we'll have to decide whether to stay here or move on.