Two women, aged 93 and 95, have died after having been sexually assaulted earlier this month in the geriatric ward of Victor Dupouy Hospital in Argenteuil, near Paris, by a 44-year-old man identified only as ‘Samir B.’
Although he had been known to authorities for previous sexual assaults, Samir B—after having been placed in detention following his arrest and subsequent confession on October 14th—was released just two days later under judicial supervision pending his sentencing, set to be handed down by a judge in mid-November, the Paris-based newspaper Le Figaro reported.
The Pontoise public prosecutor’s office has appealed the decision to release the suspect from police custody and place him under judicial supervision, and want him to instead be placed under arrest.
While the 93-year-old victim, who doctors had been treating for a psychological ailment at the time, died from a heart attack less than three hours after the sexual assault, the 95-year-old victim passed away from respiratory problems days later on Wednesday, October 18th. Examinations will be carried out to determine whether the victims’ deaths are linked to the assaults.
The suspect, whose semen was discovered on the sheets of the 93-year-old victim’s bed, was arrested by authorities on the grounds of the hospital after being tracked down by security guards. Meanwhile, the other victim had informed hospital staff that he had also just raped her in her own room. Shortly thereafter, while being questioned by police, he admitted to the crimes.
An investigation into sexual assault has since been opened by the public prosecutor’s office in Pontoise. For the moment, however, it is not yet known whether the perpetrator will be subject to charges related to the deaths of the 93-year-old victim. This will likely be determined once an autopsy is carried out and the cause of death of the 93-year-old becomes known.
“At this stage, no conclusion can be made and investigations are ongoing,” the Pontoise public prosecutor’s office said in comments given to Le Parisien.
The hospital has announced that it has bolstered security in the building where the crimes took place, saying that it is now closed at night while a security guard is controlling access during the daytime. “We have tried to maximize the protection of our patients and hospital staff,” the hospital’s communications department said.
This isn’t the first time that elderly women have been sexually assaulted while being cared for at French hospitals. In September of 2022, French authorities arrested and charged a homeless Congolese man for the rape of three vulnerable people: a 12-year-old child and two elderly Alzheimer’s patients, aged 68 and 78, who were under medical care at a hospital in Nanterre, as The European Conservative reported.
