Thursday a 21-year-old man, Oumar Ndiaye, was sentenced to 30 years’ imprisonment by a French court for an exceptionally brutal rape and torture of a woman in 2023. This is reported by CNews.

The attack took place in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, a coastal city in the Normandy region in north-western France.

The sentence, which was in line with the recommendations of the public prosecutor (statsadvokaten), includes a minimum term of 20 years. The trial began on Wednesday, behind closed doors, at the request of the victim.

On 4 August 2023, Ndiaye broke into the home of 29-year-old Mégane in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin. The 190 cm tall Ndiaye used his size to overpower the victim, and struck her brutally over the entire body and in the face. The young woman was seriously injured, fell into a coma and underwent a six-hour operation before she was hospitalised for several weeks.

Oumar Ndiaye, then 18 years old, was quickly arrested and placed in pre-trial detention. He “laconically” admitted the facts before he was charged with rape accompanied by torture or acts of barbarity, according to Cherbourg prosecutor Pierre-Yves Marot.

On Thursday the presiding judge highlighted the extreme violence, the lack of empathy and the dangerousness of the convicted man. According to the victim’s lawyer, Catherine Besson, it was “very difficult” for her client, whose life has been “destroyed”, to agree to appear in court in order to confront the accused.

The young woman was also “very upset” by the extensive media coverage of the case, which had triggered a national wave of indignation when the events took place.

Oumar Ndiaye’s criminal record showed several convictions from the juvenile court for acts of violence and damage to property, and he was also under investigation for sexual assault against his sister.

Fransk far protesterer mot regjeringens taushet etter at Oumar voldtok hans datter med kosteskaft

Algerisk «monster-djevel» får livstids­dom for torturdrap på Lola (12)

Oumar raped Mégane repeatedly, both through sexual intercourse and with a broomstick said to have been around 75 centimetres long.

Remix News writes that she arrived at the hospital with life-threatening internal injuries, including perforation of the large intestine, the small intestine, the peritoneum and the diaphragm. She also had a collapsed lung and fractured ribs.

The emergency services who arrived at the scene were offered psychological assistance and support, and many of them also broke down in tears over the condition of the victim, reported France Bleu at the time.

“The investigators are shocked, they have never before seen so much barbarity,” said a source with knowledge of the case.

Although she survived, Mégane’s life has been shattered. She has undergone a number of operations and has been forced to move back to her mother. Today she suffers from recurring nightmares and severe depression, which require continuous medication. She no longer leaves the house alone, and she has had to give up both her career and her passion for sport.

Ndiaye had long been a known threat in the neighbourhood, where residents reported that he terrorised the local community. At the age of only 18 he had already committed 17 offences, including physical violence, theft and incestuous sexual assaults against his younger sister.

He showed neither empathy nor remorse for destroying Mégane’s life while he was in police custody.