Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse which some readers may find distressing
A 54-year-old woman who was found guilty of torturing her teenage daughter to death has been sentenced to life in prison by a court in France.
Sandrine Pissarra must serve at least 20 years behind bars before she may be eligible for parole following the death of her 13-year-old daughter, Amandine, in August 2020.
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According to prosecutors in the case, Amandine suffered abuse such as punches, kicks, hair pulls and attacks using a broom from a very young age.
She lost several teeth and had her hair pulled out, and was locked for weeks in a windowless storage room, being watched by cameras while also being deprived of food.
At the time of her death, Amandine, who stood at five feet and one inch tall, weighed just 62 pounds. A medical report on Amandine's death detailed how she had suffered extreme weight and muscle loss, as well as septicaemia - blood poisoning which is often caused by bacteria or their toxins.
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Pissarra was taken in for questioning after Amandine's death in the village of Montblanc, and claimed at the time that Amandine had suffered with eating disorders.
The mom claimed that on the day her daughter died, Amandine had agreed to eat a piece of sugar, some fruit puree and a high-protein drink, after which she started to vomit and stopped breathing.
However, upon investigation, the magistrate in charge of the case said there was 'no doubt' Amandine had suffered violence from her mother, who has eight children from three relationships.
A psychiatric assessment conducted on Pissarra and cited by AFP found that the mother was seeking to 'transfer her hatred' of Amandine's father onto her daughter's body through the torture.
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According to the Metro, Pissarra admitted in court that she had abused her daughter because 'she looked like her father'.
The mother was taken into custody in May 2021, and her case was more recently brought in front of a panel of three professional judges and six members of the public serving as a jury, who agreed on the life sentence - the maximum possible for the crime.
Pissarra's ex-partner, Jean-Michel Cros, has also been sentenced to 20 years in prison after a prosecutor claimed he had been a 'collaborator' who 'deprived Amandine of care until her death'.
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Pissarra's lawyers argued that other adults involved in Amandine's life should have acknowledged a 'collective responsibility' for the young girl's care, and asked that the mother receive a 'fair, reasonable sentence'.
In her final statement to the court, Pissarra said: "I want to apologize to my children, that's all."
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues or want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and receives calls from throughout the United States, Canada, US Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico.
Emily Brown