Nearly two years after hitting a car head-on and under the influence of drugs, the 56-year-old actor is on trial for “unintentional injuries” on Wednesday. The hearing is now suspended and the court has retired to deliberate.
“Mr. President, if you allow me, I would like to turn to them. Will you allow me?” It is 2 p.m., Wednesday November 20, and the courtroom of the Melun criminal court (Seine-et-Marne) freezes. Vblack shirt on the back, white shirt taken out of beige pants, Pierre Palmade release your hands from the bar, and make a half turn towards the victims. “I would like to ask you for forgiveness from the depths of my being, sincerely”declares the actor, his voice hoarse, his complexion gray.
Sitting in the front row, Mila, 27 years old at the time of the tragedy, responds to him in her own way. The young woman, who lost her unborn baby during the accident, shakes her head “no”. Pierre Palmade wants to say it again and again: “I am overwhelmed, tested to see them in real life (…) I hope that one day the victims will accept my forgiveness. I know that a madman, a drug addict got into them. It is inexcusable. ” Ce “fou” whom he speaks in the third person, is indeed the man against whom the prosecution requested five years in prison, two of which were closed, on Wednesday evening. Almost two years after this famous Friday February 10, 2023, the day when he has hit a car under the influence of drugs, on a road in Seine-et-Marne, the 56-year-old comedian is on trial for “unintentional injuries”.
Throughout the day of hearing, Pierre Palmade appears haggard. When Yuksel Yakut, the driver of the Renault Mégane, talks about his new life full of pain, he lowers his head. When the president of the court broadcasts photos of the dented vehicles on a screen, he barely dares to look at them. When listing the bodily injuries, he just stares at the ground with his hands crossed.
“I don’t remember anything, neither the accident, nor the rescue, nor the scene”he assures. His first memory is the hospital: “They tell me about the injured, about a family, about the loss of a baby. I understand that I am in hell, that I have done something very serious.” On the stand, he recounts the hours before the shock. “La 3-MMC [une drogue de synthèse] tends to make you apathetic. I tell myself that by taking three, four lines of cocaine, it will wake me up, and I will be able to go shopping.”
The president interrupts him. “When I hear people say: 'I'm going to take cocaine to wake up and go shopping', sorry but…” The actor clarifies his thoughts: “It's very difficult to rationalize someone who has been on drugs for three days. With three days of injections, caution is erased.
Villiers-en-Bière, the town where the accident took place, is only about seven kilometers from the court. Pierre Palmade, who has not reappeared publicly since the accident, had a full house during the hearing. Not a single centimeter of free bench with a hundred accredited journalists. Well-known names are mentioned by the president when discussing the testimonies added to the investigation. There is her friend, the actress and director Isabelle Mergault. And Michèle Laroque, with whom the accused formed a famous duo on stage for many years.
The personality of Pierre Palmade and his relationship to drug addiction have been at the heart of debates since the accident. His life is anew peeled on Wednesday. The man explains that he has used cocaine since the age of 20, synthetic drugs since 2018, and injections since 2020. “A 35 years old, I said to myself: 'Pierre, you are no longer a party animal, you are a cocaine addict'. Coke is bad because it’s good.” He insists: “The disease of addiction is much stronger than the will to quit.”
The proof in images, when he appears on the video surveillance cameras at the entrance to a pharmacy, on February 10, 2023, the day of the accident. He had lent his bank card to a friend to stock up on syringes. After the accident, during the search, investigators found injection equipment and reddish stains in the rooms.
Since the accident, he claims to be “without work”, n’arrive “no more going on stage”. Il nevertheless lives on 6,000 euros monthly salary, thanks to “basically copyright.” He also quarreled with one of his sisters, Claire. With the otherHélène, relationships resist. She speaks in turn at the bar: “I was able to witness the disaster of addiction (…). Before the accident, I imagined organizing his funeral. Drug addict, in a wheelchair, ruined”, she continues.
Since he has been taking care of himself, “he found his life,” she assures.I found my brother. I firmly believe, for the first time, that he's really going to do the right thing.” Pierre Palmade hammers it home: he is now totally abstinent. He is followed in day hospital three times a week and has undertaken psychotherapy. “For now, he is doing everything he can, he is putting all the chances on his side”confirms his godfather to Narcotics Anonymous, a support group that he joined. “I guide him and support him in his recovery processhe adds. Pierre has a lot of diligence.”
The artist, who experienced its hour of glory in the years 1990-2000, with a quick and light gesture replaces the lock that crosses his forehead. “I want to be in love, without drugs. I'm starting to feel the benefits of abstinence.” He pauses, then continues: “The only thing I love is my life as an artist. But I’m not sure I can do this job again.”
The time comes for requisitions. “We had to find the fairest and most appropriate sentence for unintentional injuries. We know that the defendant did not want to cause these injuries,” explains the prosecutor Marie-Denise Pichonnier. She is asking for five years' imprisonment, including three years suspended on probation. The accused remains impassive. At 7 p.m., the court retires to deliberate. Pierre Palmade faces a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison and a fine of 200,000 euros.
