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Rabat – A French couple is expected to stand for trial today in Bordeaux after their arrest on charges of attempting to take their five-year-old son to Morocco’s desert for a supposed ritual “sacrifice.”
Police arrested the couple, both of whom are music teachers in December 2023 in Algeciras, as they prepared to board a ferry to Tangier.
AFP reported today that the couple is facing charges of “criminal conspiracy,” with the court accusing the father and mother of having failed in their legal parental responsibilities.
Ahead of the couple’s arrest in Spain, the Bordeaux prosecutor’s office said they received a report from a close acquaintance concerned about the father’s alleged disturbing statements.
According to the acquaintance, the father had expressed an intention to “sacrifice” the child in the Sahara, believing that the child was “possessed.”
The defendants’ lawyers maintain their clients’ innocence.
“Audrey Boussilon, the lawyer for the father, said he never intended to harm his son in any way.
“There is no evidence to support the charge of criminal conspiracy,’ the lawyer said.
The mother’s lawyer also denied the accusations against her client, saying the couple allegedly intended to travel to Morocco for an “indefinite period,” as they visited the country two years ago and had “really enjoyed it.”
The lawyer representing the child, however, argued the couple have “inexplicable behavior” that poses a “clear” threat to their son and his moral well-being.
