The Mbour District Court will deliver its verdict on February 5th in the case between Dr. D. Gaye, a dental surgeon in Ngaparou, and the French couple Coudriert. The practitioner is being prosecuted for "intentional assault and battery" against a four-year-old child.

Cross-complaint

The incident dates back to July 21, according to L'Observateur, which attended the hearing. During a consultation, the child, paralyzed by pain and fear, refused treatment. After 45 minutes of fruitless attempts to calm him, Dr. Gaye reportedly lost his patience. According to the father's testimony, the dentist allegedly threw the young patient roughly onto the examination table before slapping him violently.

Outraged by this "outburst of violence", the parents contacted the police and are now demanding 5 million CFA francs in damages.

The doctor's response

A heated altercation then broke out in the office with the child's mother. Dr. Gaye, armed with a medical certificate attesting to an arm injury (5 days of incapacity for work), also filed a complaint for assault and battery.

Appearing in court on Thursday, the dentist, who was free on bail, admitted to the facts while attempting to downplay them. He described it as a "light slap" intended not to injure, but to "intimidate" the child to complete the treatment. The child's mother, for her part, admitted to "yelling very loudly at the doctor," but categorically denied any physical assault. Quoted by the newspaper of the Groupe Futurs Médias, the public prosecutor requested that the law be applied.