In this case, which involves abuse of weakness, the father deducted more than 17,000 euros from the account of an elderly alcoholic. His son used the bank card to register on a dating site for the amount of 18 euros.
Written by PB – Sunday, June 30, 2024 at 11:40 a.m.
Justin* made the trip to the bar of the Saint-Pierre court, unlike his father Norbert* and his stepmother Joséphine*. Norbert is the instigator of this affair. The 67-year-old man met the victim when she had just become heavily intoxicated.
On the day of the incident, Norbert and Joséphine accompanied her home and offered to bring her meals regularly. The victim, aged 78, was known in the neighbourhood for being very generous when she had been drinking. The sixty-year-old was drowning the suffering of a difficult life in alcohol.
Norbert quickly takes advantage of the old lady’s kindness. Numerous and large cash withdrawals are made from the victim’s account. Purchases in supermarkets, DIY stores, restaurants… the damage amounts to more than 17,000 euros.
“My father is bad company”
Justin explains to him in court that he took the card that was in his father’s bag and used it to register on Meetic. A registration for 18 euros which ultimately was not charged. The young man assures that he did not see that the bank card actually belonged to the victim. “Since then, I have preferred to move away. My father is bad company”Justin admits. His mother-in-law used the card to buy a washing machine.
“If Jean Valjean stole a loaf of bread, man also needs love”, argues Me Guillaume Albon for Justin’s defense. The lawyer pleads for acquittal or at least a waiver of sentence.
The lawyer convinced. Justin is found guilty, but obtains exemption from sentence. His father was sentenced to 2 years in prison and his stepmother, for receiving stolen goods, was fined 500 euros, 250 of which were suspended. Norbert will also have to pay 1,000 euros in moral damages and reimburse the entire amount defrauded.
*Faced names
