Thread: French pair accused of murdering son by shutting him in washing machine

A couple have gone on trial in France accused of murdering their three-year-old son by putting him in the washing machine and switching it on.


The case has shocked France and raised questions about child protection policies, as the family was known to social services. Three reports of a child in danger and nine of worrying information had been filed before the alleged murder.


Christophe Champenois, 37, who is charged with murder, told the court he had no memory of putting his son, Bastien, into the top-loading washing machine on 25 November 2011.


The court heard he placed the child in the machine and switched on the spin cycle. Champenois is said to have then put on a wash cycle that lasted between 30 minutes and an hour.


The boy died from the impact of the spin cycle, rather than from drowning, the trial in Melun was told. Bastien screamed for five to 10 minutes while his father looked on the internet and the boy’s mother, Charlene Cotte, 29 – who is charged with aiding and abetting the murder – did a jigsaw puzzle with their five-year-old daughter, it is alleged.


“At the moment I don’t remember anything,” Champenois told the court, after giving various explanations of what happened during the investigation.
Just after Bastien’s death, he called the emergency services from the family’s small flat in Germigny-l’Eveque, east of Paris, and said he had a small problem as his son had fallen down the stairs. Champenois said he had given him a bath and the toddler must have drowned because he had water coming out of his nostrils.


But the couple’s daughter told the emergency services: “Daddy put Bastien in the machine.”


French pair accused of murdering son by shutting him in washing machine

Horrible kunts.

Horrible. Gotta be drug or alcohol effected.

Originally Posted by birding

The case has shocked France and raised questions about child protection policies, as the family was known to social services. Three reports of a child in danger and nine of worrying information had been filed before the alleged murder.

Child protective services is a thankless difficult job; they're cursed if they take too many children away from their parents and they're cursed if they don't, and hindsight is 20/20.
Sad for the little one.

Originally Posted by BobR

Originally Posted by birding

The case has shocked France and raised questions about child protection policies, as the family was known to social services. Three reports of a child in danger and nine of worrying information had been filed before the alleged murder.

Child protective services is a thankless difficult job; they're cursed if they take too many children away from their parents and they're cursed if they don't, and hindsight is 20/20.
Sad for the little one.

This is one of the worst and coldest murders I've ever heard of, when found guilty these psychopaths should be locked up in a small room for the rest of their Lives.
France has a very well adjusted and humane attitude to child protective services and do a great job finding the balance between properly carding for children and protecting parental rights, both the U S and the UK could learn a lot from their lead. Case's like this will from time to time happen it's not possible to stop every criminal atrocity but I hope France with its long history of protecting its people's rights won't have the usual knee jerk reaction typical of the UK and send out thousands of overzealous social workers with a god complex to look for non existent excuses to remove children from decent parents.

At least they didn't have to clean-up the poor little fella, for the wake and funeral.

ooouch. too soon.

yes.

Supposedly he had been naughty at school.

What three year old is never naughty?

Good on his big sister not being so frightened of her father that she clammed up and didn't say anything.

what an horrendous way to die.
R.I.P poor little mite

[QUOTE=birding;3097400]

The boy died from the impact of the spin cycle

Jesus.

“At the moment I don’t remember anything,” Champenois told the court, after giving various explanations of what happened during the investigation.
Just after Bastien’s death, he called the emergency services from the family’s small flat in Germigny-l’Eveque, east of Paris, and said he had a small problem as his son had fallen down the stairs. Champenois said he had given him a bath and the toddler must have drowned because he had water coming out of his nostrils.

"I don't remember anything."

But he lied to cover his actions.


Hope he gets shanked in prison. And the wife too.

But the couple’s daughter told the emergency services: “Daddy put Bastien in the machine.”