Three alleged perpetrators of the fire at the church and parish buildings of Saint Louis, in Mont-Dore, are indicted. They face a sentence of 10 years in prison. The investigation continues, to “arrest the co-perpetrators or accomplices”.
The prosecution opened a judicial investigation this Friday, November 8, 2024, for damage by fire to the church and religious buildings of Saint Louis. This is what the public prosecutor, Yves Dupas, indicated this Sunday, November 10.
The events took place between July 10 and 16, 2024, at Mont-Dore. The investigation, carried out by the Nouméa research section, resulted in the indictment of three men, originally from the Saint Louis tribe, “and already incarcerated for other acts of a criminal nature, namely attempted murder of police officers and carjackings”, specifies the prosecutor.
According to Yves Dupas, from July 2, 2024, Rock Wamytan known as “Banana”, “as well as several associates, decided to occupy the priory, after having expelled the guards from the presbytery, even going so far as to wear cassocks on the premises”.
On July 7, Rock Wamytan says “Banana”, “attacked the two nuns, as well as members of the parish, threatening them and ordering them to leave the premises”. It was the GIGN gendarmes who carried out the exfiltration of the nuns, “in a context of serious threats to their physical integrity”, explains the prosecutor.
The first building, the reception house where the nuns lived, was burned down on July 10, “a few hours after the death of Rock Wamytan known as “Banana”, by a return shot during a armed confrontation with the gendarmes. One of those indicted admitted to having set fire to several mattresses in this reception house, to “clean” and therefore make the traces of blood of his friend, “Banana”, disappear. A witness who specified that, in the custom, “we should no longer see blood, because evil spirits could come and absorb it and thus cause other deaths””.
Other premises were burned in the tribe, this time on July 12 and 13, as well as the church on July 16. The two other people indicted denied having participated in starting the fire, “but one of them admitted that she was indeed present on the scene at the time of the events”.
The three people were indicted for willful damage to property by fire. They face a sentence of 10 years in prison. “The three alleged perpetrators were returned to the remand center, under the criminal committal warrant already ordered against them, in another criminal procedure”. The public prosecutor Yves Dupas indicates that the investigation continues, “under the authority of the investigating magistrate, in order to identify and arrest the co-perpetrators and accomplices”.
