Rarely has a trial focused so much on lighting. The "dim light," the "darkness," the "towel placed on the bedside lamp": That is what the six defendants claimed prevented them from realizing how young the girl they had met was, as they went on trial for recourse to prostitution, before the Pontoise Criminal Court on Wednesday, May 29. At the time of the events, in November 2023, the girl, Inès (her name has been changed), was 12 years old.

Was dim lighting a sufficient explanation? After four hours of intense debate, the three judges determined that no, lighting was not a justification: "The victim's physical appearance left no doubt as to her being a minor." They sentenced five of the six clients – one was acquitted due to reasonable doubt – to 18 months in prison including 12 months suspended, resulting in six months of actual imprisonment.

At the start of the hearing, the public benches were filled with anonymous spectators as the six defendants emerged to take the stand. The presiding judge, Stéphane Billiet, listed the identities of these men, aged between 24 and 36, dressed in hooded jackets or shirts, representing a wide range of professions and social backgrounds.

He then described the short life of Inès, who ran away from home with a friend. At the train station in Sartrouville, she met another young woman who offered them "work."

"We knew customers were coming," read Billiet from the court record, as Inès was not present. At the entrance to the room, it was always the same routine: She swapped the bills handed to her by the customers for condoms, which she supplied. Sessions were paid for on a time basis: €80 for 20 minutes, and €100 for 30 minutes.

Billiet then read the advert that was on the site that put the men in touch with Inès: "I'm a 19-year-old girl, naughty, nice. I like what I do and I do it well." He then asked for photos of her to be projected. A baby-faced girl with long hair appeared on the screen. The next shot showed Inès in the hotel room doorway, hair in a messy bun, wearing Minnie Mouse pyjamas, looking like a child who has just fallen out of bed.

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And so began the parade of defendants. The first wore glasses and spoke barely above a whisper, as if shame had made his voice inaudible. "What happened that night?" asked Billiet. "It was a complicated time, I was having financial difficulties with my partner." He mentioned the "dim light," admitted he didn't greet Inès before the sexual act, confessed that he only thought of his own pleasure, and has felt terrible ever since.

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