Three weeks after his sentence to five years in prison, three of which were suspended by the Melun court, the comedian Pierre Palmade arrived this Monday, December 9 at the Bordeaux-Gradignan prison, in Gironde, to be incarcerated there, according to information from BFM. On February 10, 2023 in Seine-et-Marne, while driving under the influence of drugs, the now 56-year-old actor caused a serious accident by hitting a car driving in the opposite lane. Three people were seriously injured, including a 27-year-old pregnant woman who lost the child she was expecting due to the impact.
The person concerned did not appeal the judgment, making it final. However, Pierre Palmade will be able from prison “formulate a request for sentence modification which will be submitted to the decision of a sentence enforcement judge” at the end of an adversarial hearing, the Bordeaux prosecutor's office recalled on November 21, the day after the comedian's conviction.
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Appearing very marked at his trial last month, with a livid face, the comedian asked for forgiveness from the victims on the stand during his first public expression in this affair. “The serious injuries of MY and the trauma of Mrs C. (who lost her six-month-old fetus, editor’s note), It knocked me down. I am truly overwhelmed, tested to see them in real life.”
In accordance with the prosecution's requisitions, the Melun judges sentenced the comedian and actor to five years in prison, three of which were suspended on probation, after a full hour of deliberation. For the two-year period, the court issued a committal warrant with deferred effect. He had accompanied it with a provisional execution measure, which would have resulted in the incarceration of Pierre Palmade even in the event of an appeal against the judgment.
This accident revealed to the general public an artist who had been unable to work for several years, mired in his drug addiction, repeatedly dropping out of detoxification treatments and riddled with debts to the tune of 250,000 euros. A cocaine user since he was 20, Pierre Palmade had turned, two before the accident, to 3-MMC, a synthetic drug popular with “chemsex” enthusiasts, the taking of narcotics before sexual practices.
But for 17 months and his nightclub appearance in Bordeaux, Pierre Palmade has moved away from drugs: he submits to regular drug tests. “I rediscover the simple pleasures of friendship, of family, of waking up feeling refreshed, of writing down personal thoughts,” he explained in court. The artist does not plan to return to the stage one day but “looking for a way to convey a message about drugs, a message of recovery and hope.”
Update : at 3 p.m. added information and context.