A homeless Algerian man has been jailed for a violent assault of a woman with whom he had a brief relationship. During the attack, the man struck her multiple times with brass knuckles on her belly, all while a passerby filmed the scene.

The 29-year-old man, Ihabd M., already had a deportation order when he began assaulting the woman in the city of Montauban on Jan. 9, 2026. He has now been sentenced to six months in prison for the vicious assault, along with numerous break-ins to houses in the area.

The most serious crime, the assault on the pregnant woman, occurred near the Ingres Museum, where police discovered a pregnant woman in shock on the sidewalk. She reported being struck in the abdomen. A neighbor captured the assault on video and alerted authorities, leading to the discovery of brass knuckles nearby.

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The defendant was found in the vicinity with an extremely high blood alcohol level of 1.16 grams. While he first attempted to provide police with a false identity, DNA testing on the suspect linked him to a previous aggravated robbery in Bordeaux.

During the trial, the suspect’s story shifted as evidence mounted. “I didn’t hit her. I didn’t have brass knuckles,” he first claimed. However, after the court reviewed the footage, his denials transitioned into partial confessions, according to French news outlet La Depeche.

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The victim, a mother of four from Villeneuve-sur-Lot, testified about a brief relationship with the defendant that turned violent during a night of drinking. She suggested her drink may have been tampered with, stating, “I know they put something in my vodka,” before the judge steered the testimony back to the physical assault. The woman detailed being slapped and kicked, resulting in a nosebleed and three days of total incapacity for work.

The court also addressed two incidents from late December, one where a homeowner caught the suspect and a female companion breaking into his residence. After a brief confrontation where the owner was struck, the pair fled.

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In another case, police found individuals had broken into a property, which contained a mattress and traces of blood, linking the defendant to the site.

Despite his lawyer’s plea for a suspended sentence based on “precarious circumstances,” the court sided with the prosecution. He was sentenced to six months in prison, a five-year ban on entering French territory, and financial compensation to the homeowner and assault victim.

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