SNCF acquitted on appeal for the death of Neko, a cat crushed by a train at Montparnasse station

Convicted in July 2023 for negligence following the death of the cat of two Bordeaux women, crushed by a train at Montparnasse station, the SNCF, which had appealed, was acquitted.

This is the end point for the Neko affair which had stirred up the crowds. The SNCF was acquitted by the Paris Court of Appeal this Friday, November 8, the lawyer for the 30 million friends foundation told France Bleu Gironde. A judgment which comes two years after the facts.

On January 2, 2023, the cat of two Bordeaux women took refuge under a train at Montparnasse station, in Paris, after escaping from the owner's bag. The SNCF agents did not want to delay the departure of the train, which ran over Neko a few minutes later.

“I had to blow my whistle, longer and louder than usual, hoping to scare him, then I closed the doors and the train left,” explained the train controller.

In July 2023, SNCF was convicted of negligence and had to pay damages. The president of the police court denounced “the lack of commitment of human resources necessary to recover the cat”.

The railway company appealed this judgment. The court of appeal followed the prosecutor's request to acquit SNCF, finding that no fault had been committed.