ABSTRACT
In 1838, F rancis Bourillon, a ten year old shepherd, was put on trial for the sexual assault and murder of a four year old girl.1 Coverage of his trial in the popular legal journal the Gazette des Tribunaux expressed both shock and dismay at the spectacle presented by a young child ‘accused of two crimes that seem far removed from the character and habits o f that age’. The reporter’s pencil-portrait o f the defendant sought to explain the crime through the child’s appearance and demeanour:
Bourillon withstood the ordeal of the solemn occasion of a criminal court session with a selfassurance beyond his years. This young child, whose outward appearance would suggest that he has not yet reached his real age, has a gentle enough face when he is at rest. But as soon as he is addressed, his expression darkens and his face takes on a hue that does not belie the acts of cruelty to which he abandoned himself.
