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Versailles Court Convicts Teacher in Evaëlle Case With One-Year Suspended Term and Lifetime Ban

The ruling signals tighter legal scrutiny of adult responsibility in school bullying cases.

Overview

  • The Versailles appeals court, which ruled Monday, found the retired French teacher guilty of moral harassment and imposed a one-year suspended prison sentence with a permanent ban from teaching after also finding she harassed another pupil.
  • The decision reverses her April 2025 acquittal in Pontoise and prompted tears of relief from the girl's parents.
  • Prosecutors had requested an 18‑month suspended sentence during February’s appeal hearings, arguing the teacher crossed the line from discipline to humiliation.
  • The case stems from the June 2019 suicide of 11‑year‑old Evaëlle in Herblay after months of peer bullying and a class session where the teacher asked classmates why she felt excluded while the child cried.
  • Two former classmates still face juvenile court over alleged harassment, and the investigating judge earlier dropped the involuntary manslaughter line of inquiry.