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France awaits 'freezer baby' case France 'freezer baby' case begins
(about 8 hours later)
A Frenchwoman accused of killing three of her own babies and hiding two of them in the freezer of her home in South Korea is about to go on trial. A Frenchwoman accused of killing three of her own babies and hiding two of them in a freezer has gone on trial in Tours, in central France.
Veronique Courjault confessed to the killings after DNA tests revealed they were her own children. Veronique Courjault covered her face as she arrived at the court, and looked frail and anxious in the dock.
Her husband, Jean-Louis, said he was unaware she was even pregnant, and has been cleared of any involvement. She has already confessed to killing two newborn babies at her expatriate home in South Korea, after DNA tests revealed they were her children.
If jurors in the French city of Tours find Mrs Courjault guilty she could spend the rest of her life in jail. She later admitted killing another child in France in 1999.
The grisly tale of infanticide has gripped France for the last three years, when Jean-Louis Courjault first alerted South Korean police to the two corpses he found in his freezer while his wife Veronique was on holiday in France. The judges have to decide whether she knew what she was doing or whether she had a psychological disorder. She could be sentenced to life in prison.
Initially the couple, who already have two children, claimed they had no idea who the babies were. Mrs Courjault's husband, Jean-Louis, said he was unaware she was even pregnant and has been cleared of any involvement.
But after DNA tests revealed they were their own sons, Mrs Courjault confessed she had suffocated the two infants in Korea. He has steadfastly stood by his wife, visiting her regularly in prison, where she has spent three years in pre-trial detention.
She also said she had murdered another child she had given birth to in 1999 while she was still living in France. Grisly tale
Mr Courjault has been cleared of any involvement in the crime. Mr Courjault told the AFP news agency outside the courtroom: "I am very, very tense. I am here to support the woman I love."
Investigators say he was frequently away on business, and his wife successfully managed to hide each pregnancy from him. The grisly tale of infanticide has gripped France for the last three years, after Mr Courjault, who was working in Seoul as an engineer, first alerted South Korean police to the two corpses he found in his freezer.
Mrs Courjault's husband Jean-Louis (L) has been cleared of any involvement
After questioning him and taking a sample of his DNA, the police allowed him to join his wife in France, where she was on holiday with their two young sons, aged nine and 11.
Initially the couple claimed they had no idea who the babies were.
But after DNA tests revealed they were their own sons, Mrs Courjault confessed she had given birth alone and then suffocated the two infants in Korea, in 2002 and 2003.
She also said she had killed another new-born baby she had given birth to in 1999 while she was still living in France. She said she had strangled it and burned its body in the chimney of her house.
Investigators say Mr Courjault was frequently away on business, and his wife successfully managed to hide each pregnancy from him.
Following Mrs Courjault's admission, the police in South Korea demanded that she and her husband return to the country for further questioning. However, the couple refused and instead requested that the case be handed over to French judicial authorities.
Despite signing a judicial co-operation pact with South Korea, France does not normally extradite its citizens. Seoul dropped its objection when French prosecutors charged Mrs Courjault with murder.