Louis Emmanuel Adeline, a 26-year-old mason who lives in Pompey in Rodrigues, suffered a setback on appeal. He was responding to the murder of Désiré Laval François, a 66-year-old retiree. His sentence of twenty-seven years in prison was upheld on Tuesday April 23 by the chief judge, Bibi Rehana Mungly-Gulbul and judges Shameen Hamuth Laulloo and Mehdi Shakeel Manrakhan.
Louis Emmanuel Adeline was prosecuted before the Assize Court alongside Marie Cynthia Speville, 21, and Henry Didier Jean Louis, 24, in connection with the murder of Désiré Laval François.
Louis Emmanuel Adeline and Henry Didier Jean Louis each responded to a charge of murder of Désiré Laval François, a 66-year-old retiree.
Marie Cynthia Speville, the wife of the deceased, was prosecuted for having given the instructions to commit his murder. The three Rodrigues had pleaded guilty.
On February 2, 2023, Henry Didier Jean Louis was sentenced to thirty years in prison before the Assize Court. While Louis Emmanuel Adeline was sentenced to twenty-seven years in prison. Marie Cynthia Speville, for her part, was sentenced to twenty-five years in prison.
After the verdict, Louis Emmanuel Adeline appealed his conviction. He considered his sentence to be excessive and harsh.
Me Sanjeev Teeluckdharry, the mason’s lawyer, argued on appeal that his client deserved a lighter sentence than that of the other accused. Because he had not initially participated in the plan to kill Désiré Laval François. He added that it was Henry Didier Jean Louis and Marie Cynthia Speville who were the masterminds of the plot. In addition, he highlighted that the sentence imposed on his client was severe and excessive.
As for the prosecution, Me Nalini Senevrayer Cunden, assistant to the Director of Public Prosecutions, argued that Henry Didier Jean Louis and Louis Emmanuel Adeline were “co-accused” in this case. For the prosecution, the Assize Court looked into the nature and participation of each accused in this case. Thus, the Assize Court imposed a light sentence on Louis Emmanuel Adeline.
In their decision, Chief Justice Bibi Rehana Mungly-Gulbul and Justices Shameen Hamuth Laulloo and Mehdi Shakeel Manrakhan took into consideration the factors put forward by the first instance. They note that it took into account the participation of Louis Emmanuel Adeline before imposing a sentence of twenty-seven years in prison. They thus rejected the points of appeal of Louis Emmanuel Adeline.
The conspiracy
The body of Désiré Laval François was found on Gravier beach on July 23, 2019. The post-mortem examination attributed death to a “fracture with dislocation of the cervical vertebrae”.
Marie Cynthia Speville was married to Désiré Laval François. She was allegedly sexually abused by her husband. She had contacted Henry Didier Jean Louis to develop a plan to get rid of her husband. Arriving at Gravier beach, Henry Didier Jean Louis informed Louis Emmanuel Adeline that Marie Cynthia Speville had asked him to get rid of Désiré Laval François.
The mason had agreed to participate in this plot. The two men had gone to buy alcoholic drinks which they had consumed on the beach. Later, they saw Marie Cynthia Speville and her husband walking along the beach. The two men followed them. Henry Didier Jean Louis had attacked Désiré Laval François with the help of Marie Cynthia Speville and Louis Emmanuel Adeline. They had thrown him into the sea to simulate drowning.
Then, they left the scene and went to Mourouk beach to consume alcoholic drinks.
