DISTRESSING CONTENT: Lola Daviet, 12, was raped and tortured before she was killed by Dahbia Benkired – the teen’s heartbroken mother shared a strong & emotional statement to the ‘monster’ who murdered her girl
The mum of a 12-year-old schoolgirl who was raped, tortured and murdered shared a strong message to the “monster” who killed her little girl.
Dahbia Benkired, 27, has become the first woman in French history to be handed a whole-life sentence, after she was found guilty of the horror murder of Lola Daviet. The 12-year-old’s body was found in the lobby of her apartment building, in Paris, in 2022. Benkired abducted the teenager and raped her before slashing her throat with a box cutter and scissors. Lola’s heartbroken mother shared a powerful message to Benkired, who the mum labelled a “monster”, as she recalled the tragedy.
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Lola’s mum Delphine Daviet, speaking to the court after seeing images of her daughter’s tortured body and enduring the coroner’s report, shared a moving testimony at the trial.
Delphine recalled her young girl being “joyful, loving, and always ready to help others” as well as her “strong” character. The mum said she, Lola’s dad and their son Thibault were a close family and were “very attentive to one another”.
The mum then gave the harrowing account of the tragic day that changed her life forever. Delphine said: “Lola came home to eat, then went back to school. I kissed her, I said ‘see you later’.”
She recalled later that evening, on October 14, 2022, the family was supposed to leave for Pas-de-Calais – where they spent their weekends at a home near the beach – but became worried when Lola did not come home, according to LeParisien.
Lola was approached by Benkired outside her apartment block. Delphine told the court her girl encountered “this thing, this monster”, she referred to the murderer as without using her name. The mum asked the court: “Why did Lola follow her?”
She explained how she always told her children shout and be wary of strangers, saying: “If you’re attacked, don’t hesitate to scream. There will always be someone who will hear you.” Delphine added: “I couldn’t save my Lola. My heart is forever broken.”
The family said they called the police and they later showed up at the family’s apartment to say they had found the teen’s tortured and mutilated body. Her body was found in a plastic box in the courtyard of the building where her family lived, in north-eastern Paris. The court heard Benkired, an Algerian immigrant who had illegally overstayed her student visa, taped the young girl’s mouth which led to her suffocating to death.
This shocking case has angered France and led to protests outside the courthouse. France’s Attorney General said Benkired had prayed on the teen “for pleasure and the satisfaction of sexual urges”.
The judge, while reading out the verdict, described Benkired’s actions as “true torture”. He said: “In determining the appropriate sentence, the court took into account the unspeakable psychological damage to the victim and her family in such violent and almost unspeakable circumstances.”
Following the sentencing, Delphine said: “We believed in justice and we got it.” Lola’s brother said: “We have restored the memory of my sister, we have restored the truth.”