Hunting accident in Varilhes: two new indictments five years after the events

The Varilhes hunting accident case experiences an unexpected twist. Two new people, including a legal entity, were indicted, said this Monday, November 4, the public prosecutor of Foix, Olivier Mouysset. A response from the prosecution to our article of October 26, 2024 where Philippe Gaychet, the victim's son, criticized the slowness of the legal procedure.

“No one warned me. I don't understand why they had to wait five years to put new people under investigation, when the investigation was normally closed”, reacts Philippe Gaychet following this twist. Contacted, the hunting federation, through its president Jean-Luc Fernandez, made it clear that it was in no way involved in this indictment.

Continuing investigations

It must be said that the family of Jean-Paul Gaychet, struggling with a procedure that seems interminable, is waiting for answers from the courts to mourn. “A first notice of end of information was issued on June 27, 2023, followed on August 29, 2023 by a final indictment from the public prosecutor requesting the referral of the persons indicted to the competent trial court. Subsequent to the indictment final, the investigating judge decided to continue the investigations”, specifies the public prosecutor, a way of explaining to the family why this case is taking so long.

As for the feeling of abandonment expressed by Philippe Gaychet in the face of the silence of the prosecution, Olivier Mouysset is clear: “In application of article 11 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the procedure of the judicial investigation or judicial information is secret and the public prosecutor can alone communicate elements resulting from it.

A shot from 12 meters

As a reminder, more than five years ago, Jean-Paul Gaychet, aged 70 and resident of Rieux-de-Pelleport, was killed during a wild boar hunt after being shot in the chest. The shooter, a hunter from Cintegabelle, fired while he was 12 meters from the victim, claiming to have confused the septuagenarian with a wild boar.

“A judicial investigation was opened and resulted in the indictment of the hunter behind the fatal shooting for involuntary manslaughter, as well as his placement under judicial supervision, including a ban on detaining or carrying a weapon. Other individuals present during the hunt were indicted for violations of hunting regulations,” concludes the public prosecutor. Consequently, no trial hearing has yet been scheduled, as the investigation remains ongoing.