In total, the court recorded nearly 362 malicious calls over three months.
“I wanted to make sure she fed the animals.”. This is how the defendant justifies himself when Amélie Patrice, president of the Nîmes criminal court, questions him about the reasons which pushed him to contact his ex-partner 362 times between February and May 2022, when they lived in Congénies. Facts dating back two years and which nevertheless continue to impact his ex, represented by Me Mireille Brun. “Even today she did not want to see the man she describes as a tyrant again”she explains, this Friday, December 13.
A call every ten minutes
In this case, the ex-partner accuses the man who shared her life for 20 years of having harassed him for almost three months, just after their breakup. A breakup that the defendant, aged 64, would not have accepted. “I didn’t understand why, from one day to the next, she kicked me out. That’s why I called her, I wanted her to explain”he declares on the stand, while adding that animals lived in their home. “I was afraid she would let them die”. A justification which challenges the president of the court: “But when you call 80 times a day, do you understand that this is not normal?” “What’s not normal is that she doesn’t respond”simply replies the defendant, not seeming to understand the anxiety he may have generated in his ex-partner.
Four months in prison with a simple suspended sentence
Especially since on the telephone records, over the period from February to May, on certain days, up to 140 contacts are noted. “This corresponds to one call every ten minutes”underlines the counsel of the civil party. But for Me Jean-Michel Rosello, the defense lawyer, this data is not completely representative of the situation. “In the count carried out, out of the 362 contacts noted, there are certainly calls from my client, but also those from Madame. And we cannot precisely say how many calls he made. Especially since she could have blocked her number, why didn’t she do it?”he raises. He will request release for his client. A request that the court will not accept, sentencing him to four months in prison with a simple suspended sentence and €500 in damages.
