Eure: closed prison for the father who burned down his apartment

Annoyed by the suicide attempt of his depressed partner, a father tried to set fire to his apartment in Gaillon (Eure) in February 2023. Prosecuted for violence against a spouse, the forty-year-old was tried May 30, 2024by the court from Évreux.

With 12 convictions in the locker for multiple misdeeds including an organized gang theft with a weapon, the defendant is not an altar boy. However, benefiting from a probationary reprieve, he was able to make a new start by putting an end to his cannabis consumption.

After his partner’s suicide attempt, he takes a lighter

Everything changed February 17, 2023 when his depressed partner absorbed a handful of Lexomil. Angry, he grabbed her by the neck. Then, he took revenge on the furniture in his apartment before finally alerting the emergency services.

Then, he drank several glasses of vodka and then violently addressed the unfortunate woman as soon as she returned from the hospital. The latter then told him that she was going to leave with the children.

That’s why, drunk with anger, he went to get a jerry can and sprinkled its contents on a towel, carpets, a curtain and… the dog before setting the fire with a lighter.

“Just to scare”

Even though the jerrycan actually only contained water, the flames gradually grew in size. Hence the intervention of the firefighters who had to go through a barricaded door in order to avoid the worst.

“I regret what I did. There was water in the jerrycan and it was just to scare people. Besides, I am still in a relationship,” the defendant told the court.

His partner was actually present at the back of the courtroom to give him support. The fact remains that he has done the irreparable.

Sentenced to one year in prison

The prosecution thus requested 24 months in prison with a committal warrant against the defendant who had not heeded the “warnings of the judicial institution”. “If I go to prison right now, you will hurt my children,” he said in his defense.

Sentenced to 12 months in prison with a committal warrant, the Gaillonnais was immediately incarcerated. His previous 6-month reprieve having been revoked, he will spend a total of 18 months behind bars.

Any conviction is subject to appeal and until a final conviction, the presumption of innocence prevails.

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