Manslaughter: four years in prison for causing the death of his 20-year-old friend in a road accident

The tragedy took place on the A75 towards Béziers in the town of Nizas. Midi Libre

On August 3, 2024, Léo, 20, was seriously injured after a road accident in Nizas on the A75. He had been airlifted to Montpellier in an absolute emergency and unconscious. He died on August 7 without having regained consciousness.

In front of the court, we have the right to remain silent. We also have the right to lie. On the other hand, magistrates do not really like it, not to say that they hate it. All the more so when they feel that they are being taken for fools. To reverse the situation, the lawyer, in this case Me Florent Appe, must make considerable efforts to dismantle the accusation, to overturn the arguments of the civil parties and it is all the harder when a 20-year-old lost his life in a traffic accident.

The defense lawyer pleaded for acquittal, in vain

This Monday, January 13, despite all his efforts, Me Appe, who had pleaded for acquittal, was unable to prevent his client from going to prison, who persisted in arguing that he was not at the wheel during this tragedy. He who had already been convicted three times for driving under the influence of alcohol.

He was therefore sentenced to 44 months in prison, including 2 years with a 2-year probationary suspension. A 4-month suspension from a previous conviction was revoked for four months. Arriving free, he left under police escort to Béziers prison.

August 3, 2024, the tragedy on the A75

On August 3, late in the evening, the driver of the defendant's car hit a tow truck while driving on the A75 towards Béziers, near Nizas. The impact was very violent, the car spun around several times and crashed into the safety barrier after tearing off an SOS terminal. In the vehicle, Léo, just 20 years old, was unconscious. He was urgently evacuated to Montpellier, where he died on August 7 from his serious injuries.

The third man ?

The defendant, who maintained that he was not driving since he was in the back of his car, had a blood alcohol level of 0.28 g. From there, he recounted a whole host of improbabilities. That he did not have a phone. His was limited to the location. That he was returning from a rave party. None had ever been reported in this area. However, he claimed to have been guided by the noise and the light. He brought his family to the scene of the accident. The police thought that he had tried to flee. He “No, it's not true, I stayed until the end”. The police had arrived, he could no longer leave. He maintained that the driver had been met at the party. He had given him the wheel without knowing him, but had checked that he had a license.

No truth

On many occasions, President Roland gave him a hard time. Told him that these statements did not match the facts. The family's lawyer, Franck Rigaud, did the same. Locked into his version, the defendant did not change one iota. Never offered the slightest apology to the family who came in great numbers.

At the end of very long debates, finally, everyone left the courtroom with one certainty: no truth had emerged so that the family, the parents, the sister, the grandparents could understand what had really happened on the day of the tragedy. They don't even know where their child was a few hours before disappearing.

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