Beating of an elected official in Saint-Denis: was the alleged sponsor betrayed by his shoes?

It’s a pair of black shoes with white soles. Two shoes, which played the leading role this Tuesday, June 11, 2024 before the criminal court of Bobigny (Seine-Saint-Denis). Mouloud B., entrepreneur from Saint-Denis, aged 57was on trial for having ordered in December 2023 the violent attack on Oriane Filhol, deputy of the municipality in charge of solidarity and women’s rights.

In his absence, the accused received a four-year prison sentence, including three farms. It was wearing this pair of two-tone shoes that would have confused him. On the other hand, there is no hint of a motive in this strange affair.

Nocturnal aggression

On December 20, 2023, around 9 p.m., footsteps became increasingly rapid on Rue de la République in Saint-Denis. Oriane Filhol, leaving a meeting of the Plaine Commune Habitat administration committee, has the impression of being followed by several individuals. One of them is a hooded man wearing a surgical mask.

Worried, the chosen one tries to go to friends, for whom she knows the entry code. She manages to enter the building, but the man in the hood follows her. His foot sweeps the leg of the deputy mayor, who falls to the ground. Oriane Filhol receives several blows to the neck. While she asks her attacker what he wants, he flees. The assistant is granted a total incapacity for work for five days.

A mysterious “daron”

After this gratuitous attack, the political class was outraged, and investigators were busy. In the weeks that followed, three young men were arrested. They recognize the facts and are tried, then sentenced. New twist however, they mention having been commissioned by a man. “The daron”, as one of the attackers nicknamed him.

Quite old, with a beard and a little overgrown, he would have sponsored the entire operation for small change. “”He came five days before the incident to ask me if I knew any guys. He was a bit like El Chapo,” recounts one of the three condemned men.

On December 20, a little before the attack, the trio of thugs, located near the premises of Plaine Commune Habitat, met directly with “the daron”, who points out Oriane Filhol to them. Video surveillance actually filmed one of the attackers, who appears to be chatting with the mysterious individual, whom the investigation will soberly nickname “X4”. The suspect is wearing blue pants, which end in a pair of black shoes with white soles.

Recognized by his shoes?

Oriane Filhol is led to watch these videos. At the time, she thinks she recognizes Mouloud B., but initially brushes aside the idea. The person concerned is indeed a leader in Dionysian entrepreneurship. At the head of several companies, he is also involved in the reintegration of young people and assistance to women victims of domestic violence.

In March 2023, the assistant met Mouloud B.. The latter inquired about his health after the attack. These words, full of empathy, will be far from reassuring the chosen one. During this exchange, she clearly identifies the entrepreneur as “X4”, who at that time carries the famous black shoes with white soles. “High and flexible shoes that we don’t wear every day,” the assistant will declare.

She then shows a photo of the accused to the investigators, who are also disturbed by the resemblance to the man in the video surveillance. A search is made at Mouloud B.. There are clothes that could correspond to those worn by “X4” on December 20. As an additional element, two of the attackers recognize the defendant as “the daron”. The latter identifies himself on the cameras, but an hour before the facts, and not at the time of the “exchange” with one of the attackers.

A traumatized victim

Did the self-made man from the town of Francs-Moisins become the “daron” behind the attack on an elected official? Doubt hovered all morning during the hearing. The doubt is all the greater because the shoe wearer has not set foot in the courtroom. This last did not in fact come for medical reasons.

This absence had a deafening effect for the victim, her family and the elected officials present in the room. In a trembling voice, Oriane Filhol confided his incomprehension to the bar : “What is painful for me is not knowing. He didn’t come to explain. The three young people judged had the merit of recognizing their actions. He’s not even here.”

The assistant also returned to court on the physical and psychological consequences of this attack. “I have a hematoma that is still present, and psychological trauma that continues. I’m afraid to move around at night, and I always have to be accompanied. Not knowing the reasons for the attack, I don’t even know if the sponsors still have a grievance against me,” recounts the elected official with tears in her eyes.

A fifth man involved in the affair?

For Mathieu Hanotin, mayor of Saint-Denis (PS), this violent attack had an effect on the entire municipality: “For me, Madame Filhol was struck as a chosen one. These facts have generated fear and tension within the entire town hall.” The councilor also returned to an individual “X5”, who could have played a role in the affair, but who was never worried. “I would have liked the defendant to be there this Tuesday to ask him straight in the eye for an explanation,” sighed the mayor.

“Where are we, in a movie?” »

If for the public prosecutor, who requested four years in prison, the guilt of Mouloud B. is in no doubt, the defense lawyer tried to reshuffle the cards. “The accusations are based on the statements of the three attackers who only lie and contradict themselves! We made them little saints who come down from heaven,” protested Me Kamal Tabi.

For the advice of Mouloud B., who pleaded for release, the investigation is just a gruyere: “There is no evidence in the file. No exchange between my client and the attackers could be found. There was no confrontation! “. The latter was unable to mention the famous shoes without a hint of mockery: “The descriptions of the attackers bear very little resemblance to that of my client. And the shoe thing, where are we in a film? Let us not allow ourselves to be carried away by public clamor.”

The judges will have to deliver their deliberations on June 27.

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