LThe three accused have been appearing free under judicial supervision before the Gironde juvenile assize court since Wednesday, June 12. Nearly seven years passed between the commission of the facts and their trial for extortion and armed violence. All are members of the Bourtache family, residing in the Médoc. There is Ismaïl, the father, 48 years old. His son Enzo, 24 years old, and nephew, Syvdine, 31 years old.
On September 22, 2016, Ismaïl Bourtache is suspected of having gone to the home of a retired couple in Vertheuil, accompanied by his nephew…
LThe three accused have been appearing free under judicial supervision before the Gironde juvenile assize court since Wednesday, June 12. Nearly seven years passed between the commission of the facts and their trial for extortion and armed violence. All are members of the Bourtache family, residing in the Médoc. There is Ismaïl, the father, 48 years old. His son Enzo, 24 years old, and nephew, Syvdine, 31 years old.
On September 22, 2016, Ismaïl Bourtache is suspected of having gone to the home of a retired couple in Vertheuil, accompanied by his nephew, and of having violently attacked them. Coming to look for money, they left by taking the victims’ car, a BMW. Ismaïl denies the facts as does his son Enzo, accused of complicity in extortion.
On September 22, 2016, it was around 6:30 p.m. when two hooded, gloved and armed men burst into the Standley couple’s garden, in Vertheuil. Georgine, the wife, receives a blow to the head with a gun butt and calls for help while her attacker tries to control her. The husband, Lyndsey, runs up and comes face to face with the second thug who immediately hits him and asks him: “Where is the money? “. But there is no money in the house.
The sixty-year-old is pulled out forcefully and ordered to give up the keys to his car. Threatened with death with the gun pointed at him, he nevertheless tries to resist and block his attacker. The two men came to blows before the attacker and his accomplice fled behind the wheel of the couple’s BMW. Mr and Mme Standley, very seriously injured (1), their clothes stained with blood, raised the alarm. A search was immediately launched. The stolen car was found four days later in the middle of the vineyards, in Saint-Seurin-de-Cadourne.
Father and son dispute
The gendarmerie’s criminal identification technicians will carry out traces and clues, but it is ultimately the genetic expertise which will lead the investigators to a suspect in 2017.
The DNA discovered under Georgine Standley’s nails matches the profile of Syvdine Bourtache. Arrested at his home, he was placed in police custody, initially contested, then admitted to having committed the attack. He would have gone to the scene with two accomplices, whose names he does not give, aboard the Clio of one of his uncles. This type of vehicle corresponds to the one seen by residents of Vertheuil on the afternoon of September 26. Nephew Bourtache says that they drank a lot of beer that day. The gendarmes quickly make the connection with Ismaïl, the uncle who owns a Clio and does not understand why he is being arrested. He fiercely denies the attack but, when referred, he is indicted for extortion and violence with a weapon. Placed in pre-trial detention, he will then be released under judicial supervision.
At his home, the gendarmes discovered two balaclavas, one of which bore traces of his son, Enzo. The latter, pictured on his Facebook profile, is dressed in a t-shirt identical to that worn by the suspect filmed by the video surveillance of a convenience store on the day of the incident. Pure coincidence, he asserts, also disputing the facts.
The confidences of a fellow inmate
The gendarmes during the investigation will collect unexpected confidences. Those of a former prisoner from Gradignan, involved in a burglary case, who says he heard from Syvdine Bourtache with whom he shared the cell and told her “that he had done something stupid with his uncle and his cousin”. “Why is he telling you these secrets? » asks the president of the Assize Court, Hubert Hansenne. The witness, called to the stand, replied: “I don’t know.” “Did the police promise you anything? » continues the magistrate. “No, it freed my conscience. »
For Me Novion, “the gendarmes made a selection of clues”
Me Alexandre Novion, Ismaïl’s lawyer, takes note of the responses but does not budge. For him, “the gendarmes made a selection of clues”. “False,” replies the investigator. We carried out incriminating and exculpatory investigations. »
The debates resume on June 14. Mare Alexia Veyrières and Alexis Pauzei represent the civil parties. The indictment will be delivered by Advocate General Jean-François Couret. The defense is provided by Me Éléonore Trouvé for Enzo Bourtache; Me Nadine Pla (Syvdine Bourtache) and Me Alexandre Novion.
(1) Lyndsey Standley died on December 30, 2016. An expert concluded that there was no causal link with the facts, which the family disputes.
