The hearing which took place on Wednesday November 20 at the Melun court was the culmination of 21 months of media and legal torment. In February 2023, while driving under the influence of cocaine, Pierre Palmade collided with a vehicle in Seine-et-Marne, seriously injuring three people: Yuksel Yakut, his 6-year-old son, and his pregnant sister-in-law. six months. The baby did not survive, leading to a heated debate over the legal characterization of the fetus.
After a day of debate, the judge sentenced the comedian to five years in prison, including two years, with a deferred committal warrant, for the serious road accident he caused while under the influence of drugs. “You will very soon be summoned by the Bordeaux prosecutor (where he now resides, Editor’s note) who will determine the date and the penitentiary establishment in which you will serve two years of detention,” explained the president of the court to Pierre Palmade.
“I will always have this baby on my conscience”
In the courtroom, emotions ran high. Dozens of journalists, curious people and activists followed every moment of this trial, marked by poignant testimonies and tense exchanges. The start of the day was marked by the statements of Pierre Palmade, who expressed his regrets to the civil parties. “Today, I am just devastated to see the victims in real life,” he declared on the stand, before turning to them: “I would like to ask them for forgiveness. I will ask them for forgiveness all my life. »
The comedian also returned to his addictions and the spiral into which he was plunged before the accident. “I am someone who is normally careful in a car, but I am dangerous under drugs,” he confided, referring to the 3-MMC injections he had taken in the days preceding the tragedy.
Heartbreaking testimonies from victims
Yuksel Yakut, seriously injured in the accident, described on the stand how his life was turned upside down: “I can’t carry my child. I can no longer spend time outside with my children. It’s very difficult for me. »
Her sister-in-law, who lost the baby she was carrying, expressed her pain with poignant words: “My stomach hurt very much. I immediately worried about my child. Today, I can’t carry my little girl. All this stress, all these memories, it’s exhausting for me.
In her submissions, the prosecutor recalled the facts seriously: “We have a child who was viable and who died because of the fault of Pierre Palmade. » She stressed that the question of reclassification as “involuntary homicide” had not been retained, due to a lack of legislative provision on the legal personality of the fetus.
However, she insisted on the need for an exemplary conviction: “This consumption of narcotics should not justify the fault of Pierre Palmade. The problem is this support which can be chaotic. » And to ask for a five-year prison sentence, three of which will be suspended on probation. Requisitions which were finally followed.
