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Appeal trial in Nîmes after an ambush with Molotov cocktails targeting firefighters in Pissevin

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Les pompiers avaient pris au milieu d’un traquenard en octobre 2017. Procès en appel ce jeudi d’un suspect condamné à 10 ans en mars 2024. Midi Libre – MiKAEL ANISSET

Firefighters and police officers violently attacked in October 2017 during an ambush in Pissevin with Molotov cocktails. One of the defendants, sentenced to 10 years by the Nîmes Criminal Court in March 2024, has filed an appeal. He is absent from his trial this Thursday morning before the Criminal Appeals Chamber. The attorney general has requested confirmation of the 10-year sentence.

Firefighters in the middle of an ambush and the target of Molotov cocktails. The scene of the attack took place in Pissevin on the evening of October 6 to 7, 2017, where firefighters were called to put out a scooter fire in the middle of the road. On site, the emergency services found themselves caught in the middle of a trap with bottles of gasoline that were thrown around the intervention vehicle. The case led to the appointment of an investigating judge and the indictment of several suspects (adults and minors). Some will be tried by the juvenile court and others by the criminal court. One of the defendants will be sentenced by the criminal court of Nîmes on March 24, 2024. He will be sentenced to ten years in prison for his participation in the arson trap that was to close on the firefighters and police officers. Absent from his trial, the criminal court issued an arrest warrant against the convicted person who appealed his conviction.

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“A real war scene”

This Thursday, December 5, the correctional appeals chamber of the Nîmes Court of Appeal is re-examining the case of this man sentenced to 10 years. The presiding judge is in the process of reviewing the procedure and is referring to “a real war scene” targeting the“representatives of the police and firefighters”. The president emphasizes the organization and the prepared nature of the ambush that will be fomented using a stratagem that consisted of stealing a scooter and setting it on fire to provoke the intervention of the firefighters. The magistrate cites the testimony of the firefighters, some of whom had said “that in 15 or 20 years of career, they had never felt so much in danger”.

This Thursday, the defendant is being tried in his absence because he did not show up at the hearing. Only the lawyers for the civil parties (the firefighters and the police) and the defense are present before the court. Thus, the president of the bar, Me Khadija Aoudia defends the suspect and Mes Christian Barnouin and Jean-François Corral speaks for the victims. Mr. Barnouin, the lawyer for the departmental fire and rescue service, emphasizes the emotional shock suffered by the firefighters who are still traumatized today and sometimes experience the emotional aftermath of the shock felt at the time.

“What would have happened if the Molotov cocktails had entered the vehicle ?, We would have had three firefighters burned alive ?”, the lawyer for the Sdis is indignant.

The same analysis is made by the police lawyer, who denounces the prepared and premeditated nature of the ambush. Mr. Corral also insists on the consequences for the police officers who were very disturbed to find themselves caught in the fire of Molotov cocktails. For her part, the attorney general clearly maintains the premeditated nature of the case and observes that this is a fugitive defendant. She is calling for the confirmation of the 10-year prison sentence handed down by the Nîmes Criminal Court and for the arrest warrant to be upheld.

The president of the Bar, Aaoudia, is currently pleading for an acquittal, considering that the testimonies that incriminate her client are not legally valid. She is relying on the case law of the Court of Cassation. “It is up to the prosecution to demonstrate that he is guilty.” She is inviting the Court of Appeal to take a position solely on the basis of law. “I want justice that is the same for everyone, even apart from behavior that could be considered execrable.” Me Aoudia believes that the criminal court sentenced his client on the basis of testimonies from people implicated in the proceedings. Which is not legally sound, according to the president of the bar. The president Nadine Mouttet has just indicated that the court will reserve its decision until January 9, 2025.

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Teilor Stone

Teilor Stone has been a reporter on the news desk since 2013. Before that she wrote about young adolescence and family dynamics for Styles and was the legal affairs correspondent for the Metro desk. Before joining Thesaxon , Teilor Stone worked as a staff writer at the Village Voice and a freelancer for Newsday, The Wall Street Journal, GQ and Mirabella. To get in touch, contact me through my teilor@nizhtimes.com 1-800-268-7116

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