The trial of Mounir Kiouh, a Moroccan living abroad (MRE) accused of having killed a 2-year-old baby in an apartment in Namur in 2005 opens before the Tetouan court. Jennifer Devos, the mother of the young victim wants only one thing, “it is that he remains in prison, that he serves the heaviest sentence possible for having destroyed an entire family”.
Théa Gramtine, a 2-year-old baby died on November 10, 2005, in a hospital environment following the fatal blows given to him by Mounir Kiouh, his mother’s new companion in the family apartment in Namur. Jennifer Devos was absent at the time of the incident. For 15 years, she and her ex-in-laws have been fighting for justice. In Belgium, the alleged murderer was placed under an arrest warrant, then released after 18 months of preventive detention. He had appeared free before the Namur criminal court in June 2011 and had been sentenced to 15 years in prison for willful assault and battery leading to death without the intention of giving it. Dissatisfied, he appealed. He will be sentenced by default to the same sentence in the second instance, on December 22, 2011. Five days later, he leaves for Morocco.
Little Théa’s family feels “abandoned by Belgian justice” in which she “no longer has confidence”. Mounir Kiouh thought he had gotten away with it because Morocco does not extradite its nationals. Only, according to the Moroccan Judicial Code, any Moroccan having committed a crime abroad and being on the territory of the kingdom can be prosecuted there, provided that the judgment is not final. Knowing about this opening, Jennifer Devos and the ex-in-laws went to Tetouan, Morocco, in 2019. Objective: to file a complaint. The MRE will be arrested, charged with the murder of a minor child, then imprisoned. “If we hadn’t had him arrested, he could have come back to Belgium this year because of prescription. “
“We had to spend money to obtain a copy of the documents, before submitting ourselves this 20-kilogram file, comprising 3,000 pages, to the Moroccan judicial authorities,” the family of the little victim told L’Avenir. The trial of Mounir Kiouh, 40, opens before the Tetouan court. The family regrets not being able to reach Morocco to attend the hearing because of the unavailability of the planes. “We regret not being able to go, but we would like justice to be finally done, that the trial not be postponed for several months. We would also like him to admit what he did, even if we think he will never admit having killed our little Théa. He has no empathy. Even when he was shown autopsy photos, he turned them around as if he was reading the newspaper… ”
“I don’t think I’ll ever grieve. I live with this guilt all the time. I will never forget, but I would have a relief to think that he will pay for what he did, that he will have been punished for the acts he did. All I want is for him to stay in prison, to serve the heaviest possible sentence for destroying an entire family. It is often said that time eases pain, but it is not. I have so much sadness. But I don’t wish him to die, that won’t bring my baby back, ”Thea’s mother said.
