For this second day of the trial, the new revelations of the main accused led to lively exchanges at the Gard Assize Court.
“You are not fooled Mr. President, I must tell the truth to respect the victims”. This second day of trial, where two accused are tried for attempted assassination and criminal conspiracy at the Gard Assize Courtwas marked by lively exchanges between lawyers from the different parties. In particular, new revelations from the perpetrator of the shootings.
The accused denounced by his own brother
As a reminder, the facts for which this 31-year-old man and this 28-year-old young woman are being tried concern a shooting that occurred on the night of January 9, 2022, in the heights of Nîmes, not far from the road to Alès. The thirty-year-old is accused of having organized a ambush in the idea of “to scare” to his former partner in a case of drug trafficking. “You explain that you set up this strategy to take revenge for a burglary of which you were the victim in November 2021. In particular, your son’s quad bike and narcotics were stolen from you, is that correct?”questions Christian Pasta, president of the Gard Assize Court. A motive confirmed by the accused. “But why do you think he’s the one who robbed you?”he continues. “Because I had hidden a kilo of cannabis resin in the motor of my jacuzzi. And he is the only one who knows about this hiding place”replies the accused.
A story confirmed by testimony from X but also the brother of the accused, who reported him to the police. For what ? Here again, for a matter of burglary. “In May 2022, €6,000 was stolen from my safe at home. I immediately knew it was my brother. I was angry, but above all I was afraid, I felt in danger “That’s why I came to give a statement.”he explains.
I was scared and I loved him
He then explains on the stand that his brother told him that he had created a fake Snapchat profile posing as a purchaser of cannabis. The victim, according to the main accused, was a drug seller. He then arranges to meet him on January 9, 2022, shortly before midnight. And that’s when the accused contacted his ex-girlfriend, so that she could pose as the said dealer. But his role does not stop there. She also had to sprinkle tear gas the victim before his accomplice shoots him using a shotgun. “But I didn’t know he was armed. He just told me he wanted to scare him and rob him.”supports the young woman at the helm. “But why did you agree to gas this person you didn’t know?” the president intervenes. “Because I was afraid, and I loved him”she said in a small voice. Their romance having only lasted 48 hours, a few months earlier…
But for his part, his co-accused does not give the same version to the court. If he recognizes “having minimized his role until now to protect her”he declares today that his accomplice was aware of his plans from the start. A new statement that will make the defendant’s lawyer jump from her bench. “You keep changing your story and we’re supposed to believe you?”asks Me Nadia El Bouroumi. The president then calls for calm.
Bullet holes on the steering wheel and in the windshield
During this day, the report from Alain Artuso, the ballistics expert, also provided some details on how the events unfolded. Because if the accused claims from the beginning to have only wanted “to scare” to the victim, the expert contradicts this hypothesis.“From the reconstruction, we can clearly see that the shots were directed inside the car”he told the court. Several projectile impacts were found inside, including one on the steering wheel and another in the windshield. Shots of buckshot and small pellets injured the victim in the left forearm, as well as her friend who was in the vehicle at the time of the incident. She will be hit by a projectile in the leg. “I really thought I had targeted the tire. At no time did I want to take his life”maintain the accused, supported by his lawyer: “If he had wanted to kill the victim, he just had to stand in front of the car, and not in the back as he did”raises Me Baptise Scherrer for the expert. “It’s possible”declares the latter.
A trial which continues until tomorrow with the testimony of the victims. The two accused face life imprisonment.
