The prosecution requested a suspended prison sentence of 18 months against Jean-Michel Maulpoix who expresses a deep feeling of injustice at the end of the trial between him and his wife. The two spouses, in the process of divorcing, accuse each other of domestic violence. Although the prosecution requested a six-month suspended sentence against Laure Helms-Maulpoix, the latter was ultimately acquitted by the Strasbourg criminal court.
“It would seem that honesty and truth are not valued in court, where lying seems to be more profitable,” the writer told Mediapart, even if he admitted to having dealt blows during the trial. “It reminds me of the words of Quatennens who said that justice sends the following message: ‘deny’”, he adds boldly.
Jean-Michel Maulpoix also believes that he was unable to make his truth heard, affirming that his wife’s violence is at least as numerous and severe as his own. “Since I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, she has treated me like a subhuman,” he laments. He also denies having ever exercised domination over his wife. “I’m not DSK, I’m not Depardieu!”, he defends himself.
For her part, Laure Helms-Maulpoix expresses her relief after the court decision and admits to feeling a very strong feeling of guilt for not having left, while becoming aware of what she endured, she who had never succeeded to file a complaint.