The actor Pierre Palmade declared this Wednesday, November 20 before the Melun judicial court that he no longer “had this desire to die” unlike the period preceding the accident when he had “lost taste for life”.
Before the Melun judicial court, Pierre Palmade affirmed this Wednesday, November 20 that he had “lost the taste for life” before the serious road accident that he caused in February 2023 in Seine-et-Marne and for which he is judged. Three people were seriously injured in this accident: Yuksel Yakut, his six-year-old son Devrim and Mila, his sister-in-law who lost her fetus in the collision.
“Today, I found things simple again. Waking up in good shape, writing, enjoying my family,” he explained, noting that he has been abstinent from all drugs for 17 months thanks to the treatment he is following at Bordeaux.
To which the lawyer for the civil parties reacted strongly. “My clients have lost the taste for life,” declared Me Mourad Battikh at the end of his pleading late in the afternoon.
He says that the husband of Mila, the young passenger then six months pregnant who lost her child after the accident, decided not to come to the trial “because he probably did not have as much desire to forgive Mr. Palmade.”
“He does not forgive the fact that this man, through his reckless choices, caused his family to explode,” he added.
Before adding: “When you lose a child, there are no words. When you lose a fetus, there is no law.”
“It’s a tragedy that could have been avoided”
Me Mourad Battikh contests the case law on the legal status of fetuses which considers that a baby had to be viable and alive at birth to be considered a legal person. Solin, extracted by emergency cesarean section from his mother's womb at six months of pregnancy, was “viable” but not “alive”. This is why Pierre Palmade was not brought before the court for “involuntary manslaughter”.
He asked the court to change this case law but the public prosecutor opposed it.
Me Mourad Battikh also took the floor to talk about Devrim, the child of the father of the family Yuksel Yakut, both injured in the accident. “If Devrim didn’t come, it’s because I told him not to come,” he said. “He's in the corner of his classroom, he's in the corner of the living room. He's in the corner of the playground. He's afraid of other people.”
“His jaw is shifted (…) he sees the eyes of others resting on it. He knows that when he speaks, he speaks badly. He knows that his scar on his chin is visible, he knows that the scar on the side of the head is visible. And you have empathy. I have empathy. But the kids are cruel,” the lawyer continued.
Me Mourad Battikh also charged Pierre Palmade “who knowingly made the decision to consume drugs” before hitting the road. “It is a tragedy which could have been avoided, which could have been lessened, if the passengers had not cowardly left the scene, left the scene,” he continued.
For his part, Pierre Palmade asked for “forgiveness” from the victims of the accident he caused and affirmed that he will “always have this baby on his conscience”. A sentence of 5 years in prison, including two firm terms and three years with suspended probation, was requested against the actor tried for “unintentional injuries”.
