Summoned to answer for acts of violence against his wife, a man tried to explain himself… and quite annoyed the president of the chamber.
“Nothing happened!” » These are the first words addressed to the judge that Mr. J says. The sixty-year-old stands in front of the president of the 6e criminal chamber of the Évry-Courcouronnes judicial court where he appears for violence against his partner, facts which date back to two dates in September 2023: she claims that he squeezed her neck and received spit, causing one day from ITT.
Asked to give his version, he engages in a long account of the days preceding the events, the arguments with his wife concerning their respective schedules. But too much context kills the context: “Can we get to the facts, sir?, the judge gets impatient. I am not a sociologist or psychologist, what happened on the day of the incident? »
– “Nothing happened!” It's only verbal, there's nothing, I didn't touch him! She was in the kitchen, me in the hallway.
– His statements are significantly different…”
The defendant interrupts the judge by denying having spat on his wife, who allegedly called him a “dog”, a “good for nothing”. The annoyance goes up a notch.
– “How do you explain that she says that you grabbed her by the throat?
– I swear to you, a man who touches his wife isn’t even a man, he’s a loser!
– How do you explain Madame’s statements…”
Once again, Mr. J. intervenes without delay. The president makes a firm digression on the attitude to take towards him: here, it is he who holds the speech police. There's no way we're going to interrupt him again.
“I can’t spit on her!” »
– “She defends herself as best she can…” continues the defendant.
– You haven’t asked yourself why she says that?
– It’s a verbal altercation, I didn’t type it at all.
What about the other date which concerns similar facts? Once again, the defendant denies it outright.
– “I didn’t spit on him, I spit on the ground!” I can’t spit on her!”
The judge is exasperated: he cites the testimony of a neighbor who regularly hears mutual insults. Were the arguments regular? The defendant still skirts the questions, arguing that his French remains sketchy, that he learned everything when he arrived in France in the 1980s.
– “I am willing to hear that you have poor command of French, but the question is simple, understandable: was your relationship going well? Were there any arguments?
– Never. »
Faced with the judge's outburst, a court security agent peeks his head in to check that everything is okay.
– “No, nothing happened, apart from the verbal altercation and it was she who attacked me.
– Are you a victim of Madame?
– I am not a victim! »
“He is lost, distraught, ashamed”
– “Why are you spitting?”, the prosecutor wants to understand.
– It’s a habit, it’s not for humiliation, it’s to let go of anger.
– What is spit?
– It’s bad, it’s not good. »
Under judicial supervision, Mr. J. is not very diligent in responding to summons for his follow-up. A phone number mistake, he assures. He should have worried about it much earlier, the judge noted. However, he respected the ban on contact with the victim.
“Mr. J. beats around the bush without getting to the point, he has difficulty admitting the truth and does not answer questions precisely. These statements are not compatible with the statements of the children and the neighbor,” believes the public prosecutor, who however notes a tense context and insults from both sides. Four months suspended sentence is the required sentence, accompanied by a course to prevent violence within the couple.
The defendant has a clean record, recalls the defense. “He says it, this court is a place he doesn't want to be. He is lost, distraught, ashamed, he felt unwell the day before the appearance, he is not used to the legal world. » She recalls that the medical report indicates an “absence of injuries with the alleged facts”, thus undermining the declarations of Madam, and asks to stick to the material elements. “He admitted the spitting, he always disputed the strangulation. She asks for “pure and simple” release.
It will be the judge's decision. “Thank you very much,” breathes Mr. J. who rushes towards the exit without asking for his rest.
