Their promises of representation were not enough. Robert R. and Kevin W. returned to prison on Friday January 24, 2025. Under the eyes of their loved ones present at the Tours judicial court. At the end of a long, sometimes messy hearing, which finally pushed the court to request additional information to analyze two sealed phones, they learned that they would return on February 28 to face the judges.
They were arrested in a bar in Tours on December 2, 2024. Suspected of having both participated in three thefts recorded on October 23 and 28 in Saint-Cyr-sur-Loire, and November 2 in Tours. The youngest, Kevin, is also suspected of an attempted theft that occurred in Saint-Avertin on November 24.
Twice, the victims were distracted by a young man ringing the videophone and claiming to have lost his cat or dog. Three minutes later, a victim noticed the theft of jewelry. The other will manage to scare away the intruder by tracking him. The other two times, the victims were absent and observed the damage when they returned. The total damage has not yet been precisely estimated. The stolen jewelry and gold were never recovered.
“I’m 28 and this man looks like he’s 40”
For four hours, Robert R. and Kevin W. denied everything. Confronted with video surveillance image captures, they did not recognize themselves. “I’m 28 and this man looks like he’s 40. The shoes aren’t mine”proclaims Kevin, the most voluble. On October 23 and 28, he was in Mérignac (Gironde). On November 2, he was in Caen. And too bad if the victims recognized him on a photographic board. “It can get confusing. There may be a resemblance but I wasn't there. »
Robert remembers almost nothing. If his phone has a terminal nearby, it's because he's shopping everywhere. “On November 2, I was in Paris and I left the phone in my car. My loved ones were able to take a ride with it »he said.
-In his vehicle, investigators also found keys, including one that opens doors and mailboxes. “I found it and I kept it. The other keys were used to open cupboards and cupboards that I found.”he promises. As for the jewelry found in her car, “they are worthless”.
The different interpretation of images
“They lie about anything and everything”estimates Alexia Royannez for the public prosecutor. Before denouncing the targeting of elderly victims. “Targeting elderly people in wealthy neighborhoods has an advantage. We're pretty sure we'll find some valuables. But it also has a downside because these people are protecting themselves. We are lucky to have videos every time. They are extremely clear,” she believes.
“I almost envy the public prosecutor for having these certaintiesreplies Maître Gonthier, the advice of Robert and Kevin. This file is just an image of ordinary physics. A case where the obvious can be the worst advisor. The photos do not dispel doubt regarding the insufficiency of the elements. I am very sensitive to the age of the victims but we are selling things short. Couldn't we organize a wallpaper during police custody instead of being satisfied with a photographic plate? » The council then discusses “an unparalleled battery of surveillance” for minimal results, “with images that are not so overwhelming”.
Pleading acquittal with the benefit of the doubt, then judicial control of his clients until the next hearing, he will not have been heard. The court ultimately considered that it did not have sufficient guarantees of legal representation for Robert R. and Kevin W. at the end of February.
