A Frenchwoman whose sister and parents were murdered by the sister's former partner on Monday asked a court to find the state responsible for their deaths over its alleged failure to protect the family.

On August 4, 2014, after a car chase through the northern town of Grande-Synthe, Isabelle Thomas, a mother of two, and her parents were gunned down by Patrick Lemoine, an auto-repair technician.

Two months later Lemoine, whom Thomas had met in 2012 after separating from her husband, committed suicide in prison.

A few weeks before the triple murder, Thomas had reported Lemoine to the police for domestic violence after he attempted to strangle her.

He was arrested but later released on probation on condition he refrain from contacting the 49-year-old maths teacher pending his trial, scheduled for mid-August.

Activists have staged a series of protests across France in recent months to highlight the issue of 'feminicide', the murder of women, often by their husband or former partner
Activists have staged a series of protests across France in recent months to highlight the issue of 'feminicide', the murder of women, often by their husband or former partner AFP / CLEMENT MAHOUDEAU

But the harassment continued unabated.

"He followed her to her lawyer and shoved her lawyer who in turn called the prosecutor. Isabelle filed a complaint and the prosecutor was informed in person but nothing was done," Isabelle Steyer, lawyer for the dead woman's sister Cathy Thomas, said.

The court case takes place against the backdrop of growing awareness and outrage in France over violence against women.

Last November protesters staged a 'die-in' at the Place de la Republique in Paris to denounce the number of women killed in France
Last November protesters staged a 'die-in' at the Place de la Republique in Paris to denounce the number of women killed in France AFP / DOMINIQUE FAGET

France is one of the European countries with the highest number of such murders, according to EU figures from 2017, which put it second only to Germany.

In 2019, at least 126 women died at the hands of their current or former partner, by AFP's count -- at least one woman every three days.

On November 23, nearly 50,000 people, mostly women, demonstrated in Paris over what they say is state inaction on the issue -- one of the biggest marches against gender-based violence in French history.

Cathy Thomas argues that gross negligence on the part of the justice system led to the murder of her sister and parents. She and Isabelle's son are demanding 300,000 euros ($329,000) in damages from the state.

Lemoine had followed Isabelle Thomas and her parents while they were on their way to the beach.

Grafitti and makeshift posters denouncing violence against women have sprung up all over Paris
Grafitti and makeshift posters denouncing violence against women have sprung up all over Paris AFP / Lionel BONAVENTURE

Thomas was killed while she was on the phone to the police to demand they send protection.

On Monday, Steyer told the court that the state had failed on several counts, despite "all the warning signs flashing".

She argued that the state should have kept Lemoine in custody pending his trial, given his violent past.

The state has however denied any responsibility.

"In the case, there was no dysfunction of the public justice system," counsel for the state, Alexandre de Jorna, told the court.

While the French state has been accused before of criminal failure to protect women murdered by their boyfriends or husbands, it has rarely been found accountable for their deaths.

In 2014, the state was ordered to pay 132,000 euros to the relatives of a woman stabbed to death by a former partner against whom she had filed several criminal complaints.

"At a time when the fight against violence against women is a national priority, the culpable failure of the police to act was a missed opportunity to prevent the murder," the court ruled in that case.

But in another case in 2015, the court cleared the state of responsibility over the killing of a woman by her former partner, a policeman, despite the failure of prosecutors to act on her complaints about his death threats.

In September, President Emmanuel Macron visited the offices of a domestic violence hotline in Paris and listened in to calls as they came in.

He heard a police officer tell a woman who had called to seek protection from her abusive husband that the police could not help her without a court order -- a response which the French leader slammed as inadequate.

His government has announced plans to create 1,000 new places in shelters for the victims of domestic violence.

Parliament in December meanwhile voted to introduce the wide-scale use of electronic bracelets to prevent domestic violence offenders approaching their victims.

Some feminist groups expressed disappointment however at the government's failure to commit large sums of money to fighting the scourge of violence.

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