It is a real “traffic offense package” which was judged on Monday at the Pau criminal court, in the words of the prosecutor. During the night from Friday to Saturday, the suspect, a young man (23 years old), got behind the wheel under the influence of alcohol – a one-liter bottle of whiskey had been taken down – and drugs – cannabis , cocaine – in addition to not having a license. “We were with friends and we got a little heated while drinking,” he recontextualized Monday at the time of his trial.
Finally, he collided at full speed with several parked vehicles at rue des Ponts before ending up in a rollover with several occupants on board. Four he will say first, five then, without the police being able to identify them since they all fled. “It was sliding and the car went into a spin. I ended up with a broken tooth and my friend left after speaking with the police. »
The man accused was indeed apprehended by the police with whom he appeared “relatively aggressive” when he got out of his vehicle, they say. “When we arrived, he yelled at us because his mother’s vehicle was damaged. He was arrogant, insolent, insulting. He called us racists. »
“Sometimes I mess up”
In police custody and then during the investigation, he will be more cooperative, readily admitting the facts and his alcohol problem. “Sorry, I was drinking. It's not the first time. It's alcohol, always alcohol. » This is in fact not the first time that the man has appeared for facts of this nature. He was already sentenced in 2022 for driving without a license, under the influence of alcohol. He was summoned to the Pau criminal court at the beginning of January for three other identical offenses. “Sometimes I mess around (sic) when I drink. Maybe I have a problem with that,” he commented on Monday for the trial of the four procedures that were joined.
Unemployed in life, the young man lives with his mother, who owns the car with which he committed most of his crimes. He also found himself involved in acts of violence since he was shot in the thigh a few months earlier. Deemed “psychologically fragile”, he admitted during the investigation to having already attempted suicide, which he denied on Monday. He also said he feared incarceration in the Pau remand center, fearing he would find people there with whom he had problems.
For her part, the prosecutor requested nine months in prison against the accused with a ban on driving a motor vehicle for two years to “sustainably keep him away from anything that drives”, highlighting the “persistence (of the detained) in delinquency knowing that it is increasing” and “while he already had three summonses in his pocket”. She was not heard by the court which preferred education to punishment. The defendant was sentenced to 18 months in prison, including 6 months, including an obligation to obtain a driving license.
