The 4th session of the Assize Court of the year opened this Monday (June 10), in Basse-Terre, with a murder case, which occurred on November 9, 2021 in the city of Plocoste, in Les Abymes. In the dock, a 32-year-old man, who is accused of having taken the life of Lenny Theres, killed by several bullets, for, it seems, a debt of 200 euros.
But the examination of the case was ultimately postponed due to the absence of one of the lawyers. Outside the department in the context of another case, he requested and obtained the dismissal.
The Assize Court will resume its proceedings on Thursday (June 13), with another murder case.
Six criminal cases
In total, six criminal cases are scheduled to be judged until July 5, two cases of murder and another of gang rape, but also two cases of violence with a weapon and one of rape of a minor with several aggravating circumstances.
These last three cases will be judged before the departmental criminal court.
The two murders will be mentioned, for the first time, before the Assize Court and the case of gang rape will be handled by the Assize Court for minors.
20 to 30 years of imprisonment incurred
In the three cases handled before the departmental criminal court, the perpetrators, if found guilty, face the maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
In the other three cases, the maximum sentence is 30 years.
Suffice to say that these are serious cases with 10 accused involved, 8 men and 2 women.
Among these 10 accused, four were minors at the time of the facts. They are implicated in a case of gang rape against a victim, also a minor. They were all high school students at the time of the alleged acts committed between September and November 2019.
Some old cases
Four of the six files date from 2021 and are therefore relatively recent. Unlike two others, which took place between 2004 and 2015. A case of rape committed against a 15-year-old minor and whose perpetrator is now 58 years old. And a case of violence within a couple where, for once, it is the woman who is accused and her husband the victim.
The jurors of the Assize Court, like the magistrates, will find themselves for almost a month with a very broad picture of the violence perpetrated on our territory.
