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Anger and frustration in France over the murder of an 11-year-old girl after it was revealed that the suspect was identified several times in the past as a potential child molester.
As reported by the BBC, Lyhanna disappeared after school a week ago in the Gers area of southwest France, and on Thursday a body, presumed to be hers, was found on farmland near Fleurance.
Since Monday, June 1, a 41-year-old man named Jérome B. has been in custody. He is the father Lyhanna's friend, and two witnesses said they saw the girl in his car on the afternoon of her disappearance.
Amid the shock and grief, the affair took a political turn as details of Jérome B.'s police record were released by officials.
He had been named in four separate cases involving young girls in recent years.
Two were closed for lack of evidence, and in a third he was dismissed from his job as a maintenance worker at a secondary school for "inappropriate behaviour" towards a teenager.
The fourth case caused more anger and fury and sparked concerns related to the French justice system.
According to the state prosecutor in the town of Auch, the mother of 10-year-old Rosa filed a complaint, claiming that the child has been raped by the suspect on several occasions.
However, despite a medical examination backing Rosa's claims, Jérome B. was not questioned by investigators in nine months.
Amid several police visits, the lack of questioning was reportedly due to the case having to be transferred from one jurisdiction to another, highlighting the slow manner of the French justice system.
With presidential elections less than a year away, the affair is being discussed by likely candidates as evidence of laxity, incompetence and under-investment.
President Emmanuel Macron said it was "clear" that there had been failings. "It is unacceptable. We cannot look Lyhanna's family in the face and say this was properly handled."
Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin said he was "terrified" by what had happened.
"It is fair to ask why (a man) who was so obviously the object of suspicions was not kept away from youngsters... Why did no-one act, even though for months there had been complaints against him?"
Notably, the prime minister has demanded a report on what went wrong within 15 days.
