The blaze did not go unnoticed in the small town of Sonzay (Indre-et-Loire). It was 8 p.m. on Sunday, December 15, 2024, when passers-by – a father and his son – noticed that two parked cars were on fire in a parking lot.
When he had just alerted the firefighters, the teenager noticed the presence of a man, crouching near a third vehicle, on which balls of paper had been scattered on the hood, ready to be set alight.
His suspicious behavior immediately intrigues them. As the stranger pretends to move away, they follow him. Both received blows while trying to control him, in order to present him to the gendarmes, but also gave them blows. Finally, they decide to take a photo of him and let him go.
A defendant known for previous fires
Johan L., 35, is already known for fires, notably the Sonzay church in 2011. “It was more than ten years ago. brushes off her lawyer, Me Audrey Chefneux, during the immediate appearance hearing on December 20, 2024. I'm willing to take shortcuts, but that's not legal. »
Asked about his presence at the scene of the fire, the thirty-year-old explained that he was looking for his dog. “An animal has no reason to go under a burning vehicle”annoys the deputy prosecutor, Éric Raygasse, who requires two years of imprisonment including six months with a probationary suspension of two years.
Burned vehicles already damaged in March
The defendant's criminal record does not speak in his favor. Johan L. has already been convicted seven times for damage, notably by dangerous means. “I have never done a gratuitous act, justifies the person concerned, his nose broken and his arm in a splint after his altercation with the two passers-by, five days earlier. It was about revenge or settling scores. »
Has the suspect just unwittingly revealed the motive for this new fire? The tires of these same vehicles had already been punctured on March 30, 2024. Johan L.'s blood was found near the events. However, the thirty-year-old had been informed, on December 5, 2024, that he was summoned to court in May 2025 to answer for these damages.
“Why would he take the risk of being noticed when he knew he was being summoned? » pointe Me Audrey Chefneux. The black robe criticizes the gendarmes for not having completed the investigations: it highlights the absence of fingerprints, samples taken from the cars, timetable checks. “The mere presence of an individual has never allowed justice to enter into the process of conviction”she recalls.
For its part, the court considers that the guilt of Johan L. is established. He was sentenced to eight months in prison in full, with a probationary suspension of two years.