BEAUVAIS: A man went on trial in France on Monday facing accusations of stabbing and then burning alive a 15-year-old girl who was likely pregnant by him at the time.

The 2019 killing of the secondary school pupil, named only as Shaina, amplified concerns in France over the numbers of young women murdered by their partners and also their vulnerability to bullying on social networks.

The man, who was aged 17 at the time, is accused of luring Shaina to a shed in the town of Creil north of Paris to kill her and burn her body.

As he has always done, “he disputes the charges and screams his innocence,” his lawyer Adel Fares said, adding he will seek an acquittal.

Published in Dawn, June 6th, 2023