Long jail term for woman in violent partner murder

Rouen (France): A French court handed down a long jail term to a woman who murdered and dismembered her former partner, the father of her young son.

The court in the northern city of Rouen handed down a 22-year sentence to Celine Vasselin, 35, and 17 years to her friend and accomplice Jessica Adam, 39, for the November 2018 killing of Sliman Amara, who Vasselin maintains ruined her life with his violent behaviour.

During the week-long trial, witnesses including Vasselin’s father testified that she had complained repeatedly about Amara’s violent behaviour while members of the deceased’s family insisted on his good character.

The pair were accused of drugging Amara, 45, in a Rouen suburb on the night of Nov 3-4, 2018 before killing him with a knife, cutting up his body and then throwing it in bags into the River Seine.

The trial was just the latest high profile case of women being brought to court in France over the killing of allegedly violent partners, amid concern over the high numbers of women killed by their partners every year.

Cases of women who have killed abusive husbands or partners have become rallying causes for feminists in France in recent years.