It did not take long to rule on this matter. Monday morning, the Police Court ruled on the fate reserved for a former police officer. This 47-year-old man is accused of having shot seven times into a trash can, within the premises of the drug squad, in the old police headquarters, on Boulevard Carl-Vogt. The defendant having admitted the facts and accepted the sentence requested by the Public Prosecutor’s Office, it was a simplified procedure.
With a clean cut and brown beard, the forty-year-old presented himself, in a suit, in court. To the questions asked by the president, namely: “Do you recognize the facts? The legal qualification?”, he answers soberly: “Yes”. Found guilty of endangering the lives of others, he was sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years. He also receives a fine of 100 francs. for simple violations of road traffic rules. Added to the procedural costs (8,563 francs).
The facts date back to October 27, 2022. That evening, after working from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., the police officer went out to have drinks. He declared having consumed twelve Spritzes, before revising this figure downwards (5 or 6). Then, back at the old police headquarters, shortly after 10:30 p.m., he returned to his office and emptied the magazine of his service pistol, a Glock 43, into a trash can. By ricochet, two projectiles hit the left shoe of one of his colleagues, injuring his foot. Asked what had gone through his mind, the forty-year-old admitted having done something stupid and dangerous, he indicated that he regretted it enormously and explained his action by his alcoholism.
Immediately, he decided to take the injured man to the HUG himself. While driving a police vehicle, at 10:45 p.m., he ran a red light then improperly activated the vehicle’s siren and blue light. Hence the fine of 100 francs. Submitted to the breathalyzer around 3 a.m., he had a level of 0.41 mg/l then 0.45 mg/l. He refused the other tests, thus being guilty of obstructing the measures to establish his incapacity to drive. In addition to the judicial sanction handed down on Monday, the police officer was dismissed.
Revocation confirmed by the courts
Both his superiors and his colleagues were full of praise for him. Joining the police in early 2004, the former police officer received fourteen congratulations and five thanks. His enthusiasm, motivation and good manners as well as his reliability were praised. Following the events of October 27, 2022, he expressed his regrets on several occasions to the police commander. Following an administrative investigation, he was dismissed on May 31, 2023. He appealed this decision on July 3 of the same year. But, the administrative chamber of the Court of Justice confirmed its referral in a judgment dated March 19, 2024.
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