“I thought he was done with that”: the ordeal of Iris, 23, who crossed paths with a sexual predator with the face of a good father

Under the green neon lights of the Shamrock Irish Pub this night of May 26 to 27, 2023, a few customers linger at closing, warm hops stagnant in plastic cups. Iris staggers between the tables on the terraces of Place Jules-Ferry. The evening started around 10 p.m. with Franck, his sister's boyfriend who was like a big brother. The glasses were emptied hour by hour, from bar to bar. Iris is 23 years old and is enjoying her Friday evening like so many other young people in the harbor of Lorient. 3:47 a.m., the city's video surveillance cameras film the freckled brunette staggering with Franck in front of the Mercure hotel. 3:49 a.m., the duo falters in front of the Palais des Congrès, then stops between two cars parked near the sub-prefecture. 3:56 a.m., the silhouette of a man walking on the opposite sidewalk appears. He slows down, picks up what could be Iris's banana and then leaves. 4:09 a.m., Franck and Iris are almost inert against the low wall of the sub-prefecture, while the same shadow reappears. 4:17 a.m., the figure approaches, observes Iris, drowsy, manages to touch his back without provoking any reaction, leaves the area again. 4:22 a.m., Franck goes to relieve himself in adjacent bushes. 4:27 a.m., the unknown man approaches the young girl, picks her up and disappears into the night. In the early morning, Iris is no longer there.

Shortly before 10:50 a.m., the Lorient police services were alerted that a lifeless body was drifting in Blavet, near the peaceful port of Saint-Guénaël, in Lanester. The remains are that of a young woman, who was only wearing socks. Forensic examinations confirm the inconceivable for Iris’s mother and sisters. How can we hear that one of their own was kidnapped, tied up, raped and killed in this city that they have always known, where they felt safe? At first, all eyes turn to Franck, the last person to have seen her alive. Especially since Iris's keys and cell phone were found in her apartment. He is caught in the mists of a “black-out” due to alcohol. A prime suspect, he is placed in police custody...