the essential
Sentenced to 12 years of criminal imprisonment for causing the death of a man after a fight, a man from Auch will appear for a new trial, this time on appeal. It is due to begin tomorrow, before the Assize Court of Lot-et-Garonne, in Agen.
Steeve R. was tried last November by the Gers criminal court. Two days of hearing before the five magistrates of the court (without a jury) opened for the first time in the department. This forty-year-old, a marginal man from Auch, was sentenced to 12 years of criminal imprisonment for wilful violence leading to the death of another man aged 46.
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Alcohol, fighting and drowning: a man sentenced to 12 years in prison by the Gers criminal court
A drunken brawl ended in a drowning on the evening of November 4, 2021. The two men who were arguing then found themselves in the icy waters of the Gers River, one of them did not come out alive.
The guilty party had appealed the court’s decision. A new trial must therefore begin tomorrow, this time before the Assize Court in Agen, and in the presence of the popular jury. It must last two days and the jurors drawn by lot will have the heavy responsibility of judging Steeve R. according to their personal convictions.
The vagueness persists
Two years later, for nearly two days, the court had tried as best it could to trace the events of that tragic night near the Massena footbridge. No direct witnesses, no video surveillance cameras, and very little evidence had allowed the circumstances of the accident to be established precisely. Indeed, at the end of the first day of the trial, the uncertainty persisted.
The autopsy carried out revealed traumatic injuries on the victim but which did not cause death. According to the coroner, drowning would be the explanation. But an injury located in the back still raises questions.
Did the victim struggle in the water? Was she unconscious when she drowned? Did she hit something when she fell into the water? It was difficult to establish a causal link between the injuries inflicted and the death. However, the five judges of the court had ruled.
A 25-minute deliberation
After a deliberation of only 25 minutes, unprecedented for a criminal hearing, the verdict was delivered. Normally, the magistrates (and the jury in the assize court, Editor’s note) withdraw for long hours in order to discuss the substance of the case and make a decision.
A situation that did not fail to make the defense react, represented by the Aussois lawyer, Sandra Vazquez. Today, she still points the finger at this situation. It is difficult to understand this new particular trial. Was there violence? Yes. Was it the cause of death? For the defense, the questions still arise.
“I expect a real trial, for the responsibility of my client to be examined by giving importance to this case. The victim and my client need justice,” comments Me Sandra Vazquez. On Friday, September 20, the Agen Court of Appeal will deliver its judgment.
