A dented body. A broken entourage and a future on hold. Since this summer of 2015, everything has changed for Ayoub Ben Saad, attacked on the Place des Lices in Saint-Tropez. A dark moment that left him knocked out, disabled for life. Almost 10 years since his destiny changed and his case navigated the courts: so much waiting so that the future of this 34-year-old Tropézien can be written more peacefully, supervised by helping professionals.
On the criminal front, a first judgment (June 21, 2022) sentenced one of the 4 defendants to 3 years in prison. The latter, who pleaded for release, appealed his conviction.
Added to this new criminal delay is the excessively long wait for compensation for the victim. A file that is slipping and destroying the hope of his family.
A long detrimental delay
A slowness “ubuesque”. in the words of Maître Marc-André Ceccaldi who speaks to denounce “a senator's rhythm ” in the processing of this particular file: “we are approaching a legal fiasco”. For this reason, the family council sent an inquiry to the prosecutor and to the Aix-en-Provence Court of Appeal. “This lack of perspective is destabilizing “: three years of investigation, four long more years between the referral order and the criminal hearing of May 31, 2022. Since then, “we are already 29 months after the judgment without a hearing date. This delay has a doubly repercussion because it also hinders the civil parties' claim to compensatory justice”, framework Me Ceccaldi.
Because this compensation component is slowed down by the CIVI (1) who prefers to wait for the next legal event, we can read in a letter. “Despite repeated requests, the CIVI conditions the scheduling of a hearing on the completion of the appeal procedure,” explains Me Ceccaldi, while this right to compensation is not the subject of any dispute, and an agreement has been reached with the victims' guarantee fund. This compensation is nevertheless essential to financing the daily presence of caregivers with Ayoub.
“The delays are more than unreasonableprotested the lawyer. “This exceptional situation would have merited priority judicial treatment due to the seriousness of the facts” : a young man “left for dead on the Place des Lices in Saint-Tropez”.
When we see Ayoub again at his parents' house, he welcomes us with the distant smile of childhood. His words are full of kindness but end up going full circle. “I am not capable of going down to the village alone”he says in a burst of lucidity, before disappearing into his chair.
Suffering family
A permanent loss of autonomy, weighed down by cognitive disorders. A suffering shared by his brothers and sister. “It completely changed our lives and we are still leaning towards this future”undecided, testifies Adnan. Ayoub spent several months between life and death, “we even said goodbye to him”. Today, his destiny is at stake: “How to manage the aftermath? It's a subject that haunts us. We still haven't mourned the loss of the Ayoub from before, because the procedure is not finished. Our brother needs daily help . Our parents are tired, old.ypsychologically, it's exhausting.“
There is now only justice, understanding and diligent, which could enlighten Ayoub's future, forever changed.
(1) Crime Victims Compensation Commission.
