The length of the hearing was commensurate with the length of the investigation. For nearly 5 hours, the Bergerac court looked into a 7-year-old case. In February 2017, during a hunting trip in Simeyrols, a hunter who was 47 at the time of the events was shot by another hunter, originally from the Paris region. The bullet entered his right buttock, passing through part of his body to his stomach.
During the criminal trial, the shooter and the person responsible for the hunt appeared in court to try to understand how this hunting accident happened. If The shooter in question quickly admitted his actions and apologized to the victim. and her family, the person in charge of the hunt that day, a 64-year-old woman, claims to have been precise about the safety rules and the positioning of each person. However, in the statements collected by the Dordogne gendarmerie, Several hunters present that day claim to have received no safety instructions and that the hunt could be disorganized.
“If they didn’t hear the rules, it’s because they weren’t paying attention.”
“The victim was supposed to be stationed at the ranch, not in the forest“, proclaims the defendant, at the center of the debates. “I reminded them of the rules to follow, such as shooting angles and the actions to take when getting to the site.”she continues. “If the hunters didn’t hear, it’s because they weren’t paying attention,” says the hunting manager. A response that makes the president of the court smile, adding that “It’s his role to make sure everyone has heard the rules during a hunt”.
“Everyone knows what they have to do, everyone has their job, so sometimes we don’t need to say it openly.”also explained a witness at the hearing. Another point under discussion was the question of the plan of the hunt. It was drawn according to the investigation report, using a bullet, on the tablecloth of the dining table. “My husband drew it to show others where to stand around the little wood.”explains the defendant. A diagram which, according to the hearings, was not consulted by more than half of the hunters present that afternoon.
Several reports to the OFB
“It is an organized disorder according to the defendant but in reality it is a generalized disorder. The list of participants was falsified, the distribution of the positions was not done by the person in charge as well as the reminder of the rules to be respected. It is her role”says the public prosecutor. According to the prosecutor, the OFB, The French Office for Biodiversity has been alerted on several occasions regarding the sometimes imprecise organization of hunting parties organized by the defendant..
Concerning the shooter, a 60-year-old man, he is known to the courts for acts of violence. “I apologize to the family. I made a mistake.”trying to explain his action because of the scope he was using at the time of the shot. “I respected the shooting angles, however”the shooter defends himself.
During his requisitions, the public prosecutor requires 18-month suspended prison sentence for hunt organizer and also requires for the shooter, 10 months in prisonwith the possibility of finding a sentence reduction. The decision will be delivered on November 19, 2024.
Related News :