the essential
The cars of two US Colomiers Football coaches were set on fire an hour apart on the night of Monday October 28 to Tuesday October 29, 20 kilometers apart. Since then, police have arrested three people. The alleged sponsor maintains his innocence and requests his release.
“I am not violent, just frank and direct. I ask for your indulgence in finding my three children,” declares the defendant, portly, with black hair combed back, from the box of the court of appeal in the chamber of the instruction. At 38, he is suspected of having organized the fire of two vehicles belonging to football coaches from US Colomiers, near Toulouse. “A family could have died. They were saved by a neighbor. You incur up to 10 years of imprisonment,” recalls the judge.
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Everything takes place on the evening of October 29. That night, a Toyota Yaris and another vehicle follow each other. The two cars make a first stop in western Toulouse, at Fontenilles. The individual driving the Toyota points out a property. The car parked in front of this house soon caught fire.
A few tens of minutes later, the convoy carried out the same operation in Colomiers. The flames devoured the vehicle before attacking a home housing a couple and their two young children. The charred car near the door prevents the occupants from getting out. They end up climbing a common wall.
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Two coaches from the same team…
The day after these two facts, investigators established a link. The accommodation in question belongs to two coaches of the Colomiers U11 team. “You had a history with these gentlemen. You accused favoritism. According to you, one of your sons did not play enough. Particularly during a tournament organized in Bordeaux”, summarizes the magistrate. Specialized investigators carefully retraced the suspects’ itineraries using the videos collected.
In addition to the sponsor, the police identified a 34-year-old father, who gravitates in the same spheres as him, and a third man, a 19-year-old boy, who admitted to being an arsonist. . Defended by Mr. Brice Zanin, the latter was released under judicial supervision pending trial. “In this case, the one who started the fire is outside. On the other hand, our client who is accused of being a sponsor without any proof is locked up! Everything happened too quickly. This incarceration is based on unjustified haste”, pleads Me Pierre Le Bonjour to defend the 38-year-old man.
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Investigations showed that the three gentlemen may have crossed paths a few hours before the plan was carried out. A theory that Me Le Bonjour calls into question. “The investigators acted under pressure to find a culprit,” adds the lawyer.
The public prosecutor considers that the incarceration of this man is nevertheless justified to avoid intimidation and consultations.
The decision will be made this Thursday, January 9.
