Three employees of an endiverie in the North accused of sexual assault and harassment by a former colleague

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Au tribunal from Lille, Wednesday October 9, 2024, it’s version against version. On the one hand, the former employee of a agricultural holding endives from Nordwhich denounces extremely serious facts ranging from assault to sexual harassment ; on the other, those who were his colleagues for 3 months, and who deny outright having engaged in any inappropriate or criminal attitude. The alleged victim, a 45-year-old Franco-Tunisian, openly homosexual, recounts an unbearable daily life at work, where he was the scapegoat for an entire male gang. Constant throwing of endives, forced undressing, endives shoved in the buttocks… His story, for him, is very far from the simple schoolboy or “camaraderie” atmospheredescribed by the three defendants.

“It’s true that there was some teasing”

The 45-year-old man filed a complaint at the end of 2021. He terminated his 6-month fixed-term contract at the endiverie which had hired him three months previously, because the « I supported it[t] more » work environment. He accuses three of his colleagues, aged 25, 39 and 56, of having led a hellish life for him: homophobic and racist insults, endives shoved in the buttocks in the bagged workshop, bites on the buttocks, violent throwing chicories leaving bruises on the body, forced undressing in the break room… The list is long, the actions recounted are chilling.

In front of him, two of the men said they had not engaged in any of the behavior described, and said they did not really know how or why they found themselves facing justice.

The youngest, 25 years old, for his part, explains: “ It’s true that there was some teasing. Both on my side and on his. We’re all messing around. » He recognizes at most “teasing gestures”, such as pinching his ears, and also having, “perhaps”, one day told the alleged victim that he was a “dirty disabled person”. But “it was just for fun.” He even goes so far as to suggest that his former homosexual colleague was “shady” with him, and sometimes played the game of seduction.

Homophobic and racist insults heard by an employee outside the case

So why would the 45-year-old go and tell all this? “One day I lost my temper with him and grabbed him. Maybe he has a grudge“, the 39-year-old defendant tries to justify. The oldest, 56 years old, gives almost no explanation to the president of the court. His position remains the same, he said nothing, he did nothing, even though another colleague, outside the case, had confided to the gendarmes that he had heard him say from the alleged victim that he was “a dirty Arab, a dirty disabled person and a dirty faggot (sic)”.

They all maintain that they have never witnessed, directly or indirectly, any scenes involving sexual violence. However, according to the former employee’s statements, all three of them had joined forces to pull down his pants and boxers in the break room, and took turns to insert endives into his buttocks.

The profile of the complainant still raises questions for the court. Seen by an expert psychiatrist, he is described by him as a fragile person whose words could be called into question. The prosecutor does not seem to doubt the veracity of the facts reported. “Taking endive carrots in the face (sic), miming acts of sexual penetration behind him, are you sure everyone had a good laugh? », he thunders.

The court will come down on one side or the other. The court decision will be rendered on October 30, 2024.

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