Just how guilty is Gabriel Armandou of killing his wife?

The trial has opened in the Parisian suburb of Creteil of Gabriel Armandou, a man accused of killing his wife.

It's certainly no cut and dried case, leaving you perhaps wondering who exactly was the victim and at the same time maybe how you would have reacted in the same circumstances.

Gabriel Armandou (screenshot from TF1 news report)

For beginners Armandou is 79 years old and the crime for which he stands accused is that of the murder of his wife Paulette back in September 2008.

She was reportedly discovered by their son one evening, dead and almost naked, lying on the  family's sitting room floor, with multiple injuries and bruises.

An autopsy revealed that Paulette had suffered blows to the neck, chest and back.

When questioned by the police, Armandou said he didn't know why he had done it and that he had simply lost control and "cracked" under the pressure.

But of course, that's not the whole story.

The couple had been married for 48 years and in 2000 Paulette was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

Armandou apparently didn't want any outside help and had refused to have his wife committed to a specialised care home, preferring to look after her himself.

In the three months preceding her death, Paulette's condition had deteriorated significantly, putting Armandou under increasing pressure.

But he continued to care for his wife because, in the words of his lawyer Arnaud Richard, "He had promised to help and support his wife to the very end. The couple belonged to a generation where outside help wasn't sought."

Armandou is neither denying he killed his wife, nor does he have an explanation as to why he committed an act which he, in his own words, "doesn't understand."

"If I'm found guilty, I will be found guilty," he told the court during the first day of his trial.

"It won't change anything. My wife is dead and I loved her."

The trial is due to finish on Wednesday and a decision expected shortly afterwards.

Armandou could face a maximum 20-year sentence.

Tears for the death of Annie Girardot

We're used to scenes of television presenters fluffing their lines or unable to hold back a fit of the giggles for one reason or another.

But it's surely unusual to see one so visibly moved that they're close to tears.

That's exactly what happened during Tuesday morning's edition of the Canal + breakfast programme "La Matinale".

The show's presenter, Maïtena Biraben, had difficulty controlling her emotions, as did fellow journalist Léon Mercadet.

And the reason was quite simple; their reaction to a short montage paying tribute to one of France's most enduring and acclaimed actresses, Annie Girardot, who died on Monday at the age of 79.

Annie Giradot - acceptance speech during Césars in 1996 (screenshot from YouTube video)

Annie Girardot may not be a name with which many people outside of France are that familiar - especially if you're not a lover of this country's cinema.

But she was a giant of the French film industry during the 1960s and 70s, and had a career that began as an accomplished theatre actress, spanned five decades and included more than 120 films for the big screen and over 50 for television.

Girardot starred in six films directed by Claude Lelouch who compared her to Edith Piaf, saying she was the stage "equivalent" of the French singing legend.

Her long career saw her win three Césars - the French equivalent of the Oscars.

In 1977 she picked up the best actress award for the title role in Jean-Louis Bertucelli's "Docteur Françoise Gailland".

And Girardot twice won best supporting actress; in 1996 for the part of Madame Thénardier in Claude Lelouch's "Les Misérables" and again in 2002 when she played Isabelle Huppert's mother in Michael Haneke's "La Pianiste" (Die Klavierspielerin).

Her acceptance speech at the 1996 awards was a "declaration of love" for the French film industry from which she had been sidelined for several years, and it was one that couldn't fail to touch the hearts of those in the audience and viewers at home.

"I don't know if the French cinema missed me," she said.

"But I missed the French cinema...so much."



In 2006 Girardot went public with the news that she was suffering from Alzheimer's and became something of a symbol of the illness here in France especially after the screening in 2008 of Nicolas Baulieu's "Ainsi va la vie".

It was a documentary which managed to bring home the full force of Alzheimer's while remaining a mostly dignified, tender, loving homage to the star.

Baulieu followed the actress and her family until filming stopped in February 2007 when he said that Girardot was no longer aware of the presence of the cameras.

Among the many, many tributes that have been paid to Girardot since the news of her death was announced is that of France's minister of culture, Frédéric Mitterrand.

"She lit the stage as she lit life: with a humanity and a dramatic depth that touched everyone," he wrote.

"Her death is a painful moment for French cinema, which has lost one of its biggest stars, but also for the public, with whom she had a long and affectionate relationship."

Little wonder perhaps then, that both Biraben and Mercadet had trouble holding back their tears on Tuesday morning - and they probably weren't alone.

Sarkozy confuses Alsace with Germany

It's surely not the sort of mistake anyone in France would want to make in public, let alone the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy.

Nicolas Sarkozy in Truchtersheim, Alsace (screenshot from BFM TV)

But on Tuesday during his latest round of New Year's wishes, a slip of the tongue caused Sarkozy momentary embarrassment and brought about a somewhat hollow laugh, as the free daily paper 20 minutes described it, among those in the audience.

It happened in the town of Truchtersheim in the eastern French département of Bas Rhin in Alsace.

It's a region which borders Germany and one, which along with neighouring Lorraine, changed hands several times between the French and the Germans in the 19th and 20th centuries.

After the end of World War II Alsace once again officially became part of France.

Sarkozy was addressing an audience as part of his New Year's wishes, this time to the country's agricultural sector and those living in rural areas and he was talking about the difference in (agricultural) competitiveness between France and Germany.

"I can accept that it's difficult to compete with China and India but not with Germany," he said.

"And I'm not saying that just because I'm in Germany ('Allemagne" in French)...er I mean Alsace," he quickly corrected himself before, as a blogger on the national daily Le Monde wrote, "He tried to make light of his mistake."

Lapsus : Quand Sarkozy confond l'Allemagne et l'Alsace Vidéo LCIWAT sélectionnée dans Actualité

Humour perhaps that wasn't necessarily in the best of taste as he made a reference to the programme he has put in place to provide more suitable care for those suffering from Alzheimer's.

Too late though for making light though.

Too late though.

The deed had been done and the moment recorded...for doubtless wider distribution on the Net.

As the weekly news magazine L"Express reminds readers, 2010 was certainly a rich one in terms of slips of the tongue most (in)famously perhaps European member of parliament Rachida Dati's "inflation-fellation" blunder during a television interview.

But confusing Alsace and Germany, although at first sight appearing a trivial mistake, and certainly not an intentional one is (to say the least) "unfortunate given the history of the region."

Donuts - the dog helping Alzheimer's

There are some stories that cannot fail to touch even the most cold-hearted and this is surely one.

The tale of how Donuts the golden retriever helps Alzheimer's patients.

The two-and-a-half year old arrived at the Résidence Pierre-Bonnef in the eastern French city of Belfort last August.

A Handi'Chien golden retriever (screenshot from France 3 report)

The Résidence is a home for the elderly and, as its website says, caters in particular for the physically or psychologically dependent.

Among them of course are a number suffering from Alzheimer's, and the presence of Donuts has proven to be a boost for both patients and staff according to the national daily Le Monde.

It gives the example of an 83-year-old woman with advanced dementia who walks for hours on end without any purpose.

"Just a couple of days ago the dog helped her sit down for just long enough to eat," writes the paper.

"The woman was briefly reassured, stroking the head and chest of the animal, while a nurse fed her the only meal she would agree to eat."

Donuts was donated to the home by Handi'Chiens, an organisation founded in 1989 that trains dogs to assist the disabled.



Over the past couple of decades it has trained more than 1,000 dogs (a process which takes two years) that have gone on to help children and adults with different physical and mental disabilities.

And the testimonials as to how they have changed and enriched the lives of many people are both touching and inspirational.

You can read some of them here (in French) to see what difference dogs such as Donuts have made in the everyday lives of so many.

Their presence in homes for the elderly is relatively new in France, but growing apparently and for good reason as Geneviève Breton, Donuts' guardian, explained to Le Monde.

"Thanks to him we are able to make a link with these elderly people who are so completely lost in their own silence, that might otherwise not exist," she said.

"While caressing and kissing him, they're also unknowingly helping their articulation," she added.

"He doesn't judge, instead he looks them in the eyes and offers up love."

Trial opens of nurse accused of killing Alzheimer's patient

The trial has opened in France of Véronique Metelo, a nurse accused of fatally poisoning and robbing an elderly patient suffering from Alzheimer's.

On Tuesday the trial opened in Viry-Châtillon, a town in the southern suburbs of the French capital, of Véronique Metelo.

The 54-year-old nurse is accused of having administered a lethal dose of morphine and robbing Simone Bordenave, a patient she was looking after in 2007.

The 76-year-old was found dead in Metelo's home in August of that year just days after the nurse had convinced the elderly woman's son that his mother, who suffered from Alzheimer's, needed around-the-clock care and she would look after her personally.

Bordenave apparently died of cardio-respiratory failure but an autopsy revealed high doses of morphine, "twice the lethal level" according to the prosecution.

As well as administering the overdose of morphine, the prosecution says that Metelo also helped herself to €12,000 of her elderly patient's money, having her sign cheques and hand over her bank card which she then used to buy herself perfume, jewellery and household electrical goods;

As a report on TF1's prime time news on the opening of the trial highlighted, as far as the prosecution was concerned a number of questions remain unanswered.

Why, at the time, had Metelo been so insistent that the only way to look after Bordenave properly was to have the elderly woman live with her?

And why over the past couple of years the only answer she had given to explain the high levels of morphine revealed in the autopsy had been that she "didn't know"?

Speaking to reporters Metelo's lawyer, Patrick Arapian, insisted that the high levels of morphine had been the result of an error, and while cash withdrawals had been made they were far from being anywhere near €12,000.

"There's no denying that my client used some money to make personal purchases," he said.

"But the amounts are far less than has been claimed," he added.

The trial is expected to last until Thursday.

If found guilty, Metelo could face a maximum prison sentence of 30 years.

A French actress who "no longer knows who she is" - update

There's good news of sorts for those who for one reason or another missed the first screening here on French television of the moving documentary of the actress Anne Girardot last Sunday on TF1.

You might remember that "Ainsi va la vie" made by Nicolas Baulieu (see previous story), followed the life of the actress, who is suffering from Alzheimer's, over the course of eight months.

It included interviews with stars and directors with whom the actress had worked, and showed her at home with her daughter and grandchildren and also at public functions.

Far from being voyeuristic, it was a moving and delicate portrayal of the private hell that accompanies the illness, both for the sufferer and those surrounding her.

Baulieu's intention, as a close personal friend of the actress, was to pay homage to a giant of the French screen who had also become an unwilling symbol of the illness.

And even though it was broadcast after 11 pm on a Sunday evening, it still managed to attract viewers, with over 2.7 million households tuning in.

To give it credit, the channel, TF1 has decided to show the documentary again on October 14.

But in its infinite wisdom has chosen a slot even less likely to draw an audience than when it was first broadcast - namely 3 o'clock in the morning. Yes that's right 3 am.

While that might be a a suitable viewing time for insomniacs, it hardly seems to do either the subject matter or the documentary justice. The alternative, for those who remember, would seem to be to set their video recorders or await the release of the DVD.

ANNIE GIRARDOT, AINSI VA LA VIE - DIMANCHE 21 SEPTEMBRE 2008 23:10 sélectionné dans TV et Reportages

A French actress who "no longer knows who she is"

There's no attractive way to show how Alzheimer's can destroy a person's life and that of other family members. And it's without doubt hard to produce a television documentary that doesn't in a way smack of voyeurism.

But somehow, Sunday night's screening on French national television of Nicolas Baulieu's "Ainsi va la vie" managed to bring home the full force of the illness and remain a tender, loving homage to a star of French cinema.

Annie Girardot may not be a name with which many people outside of France are that familiar - especially if you're not a lover of this country's cinema.

But she was a giant of the big screen here in France during the 1970s, and had a career that spanned five decades and included more than 200 films. She has been described as "one of the most popular screen actresses in modern French cinematographic history."

Since going public in 2006 with the news that she was suffering from Alzheimer's, Girardot has become a symbol of the illness here in France.

Baulieu's documentary followed the actress and her family until filming stopped in February 2007 when he said that Girardot was no longer aware of the presence of the cameras.

And even though it was shown after 11pm, more than 2.7 million households tuned in to watch.

It included interviews with stars and directors with whom the actress had worked, and over the course of the eight months the cameras showed her at home with her daughter and grandchildren and also at public functions. But never once intruding into areas that were too private, There were no appointments with doctors or sessions with medical staff.

"She was perfectly conscious from the outset that we were making a film about her because we had talked about it," said Baulieu in an interview with the national daily Le Parisien.

"Everything was done with her complete consent, that of her family and TF1. I didn't want to be a voyeur. There was no question of filming at the doctor," he added.

It was by its nature a programme that made uncomfortable viewing, especially the moment which showed her still working but needing to have the words spoken to her through an earpiece. Girardot, although not really aware of what she was saying, still managed to deliver them in a disturbingly convincing fashion.

Equally distressing was to watch this once fine alert actress - whose professional life had been so dependent on the camera - become completely reliant on those around her to be able to define herself, and at the same time see those moments of fierce pride and fleeting lucidity shine through.

Public appearances when the obviously frail and confused woman battled to remember the names of people she knew well, were interspersed with reminders of her at her prime; clips of some of the films in which she had appeared and words of tribute from many in the French film industry including most notably director Claude Lelouch, with whom she worked on several occasions.

It was Lelouch who brought her back to the public's attention after 15 years out of the limelight when he cast her in his 1996 version of Victor Hugo's Les Misérables - a role for which Girardot won a César for best supporting actress.

Perhaps it's only someone in Baulieu's position that could have made such a documentary. He has known the actress for more than two decades and is a close personal friend.

But of course there have been many questions asked as to whether it was really necessary to show the descent into a private hell of a woman who had been such a public figure for so many years. And there's probably no real answer to that.

The intention was to pay homage to a giant of the French screen who has also become an unwilling symbol of the illness.

It was done with her initial consent and also that of her family and entourage. But still the last image of her sitting on a bench - a moment of complete disorientation and apparently feeling that she had been "abandoned" - not even aware of the presence of the camera or the team who were with her, is a haunting and troubling one.

The 76-year-old actress now lives in a home - and as Baulieu says "Annie Girardot no longer knows who Annie Girardot is."

ANNIE GIRARDOT, AINSI VA LA VIE - DIMANCHE 21 SEPTEMBRE 2008 23:10 sélectionné dans TV et Reportages