in Nantes, four men involved in Nadir's death sentenced to 15 to 22 years in prison

Sentences of 22 years in prison were handed down on Saturday by the Loire-Atlantique Assize Court against three men for violent robbery leading to the death of Nadir, 18, as well as a sentence of 15 years prison sentence against an accomplice. “We were well listened to by the Assize Court, I thank it for that (…) But Nadir will not come back”declared his mother, a civil party in the trial, to the press.

The body of Nadir, 18, was discovered on August 9, 2020 at the family home in Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire, wrists and ankles tied, wounds on his body and a pillow on his face. The autopsy concluded that he died of asphyxiation. DNA traces found on site and telephone studies allowed investigators to trace back three men, arrested in the following months.

An envelope of 3700 euros sought

These three men of Algerian nationality – two of them are known by different aliases – were sentenced to 22 years of criminal imprisonment and were also permanently banned from French territory. Pointing out in his indictment a “slow, cold-blooded killing”the attorney general had requested Friday sentences of 25 to 30 years in prison.

The man considered to be the instigator of the theft, aged 63, was sentenced to 15 years of criminal imprisonment for complicity as well as for having provided the other accused with accommodation or subsidies which enabled their escape. He knew Nadir's family and knew that his father-in-law kept around 3,700 euros in cash at his home, belonging to the religious association of the mosque that they both attended.

In the family apartment, investigators found that a wardrobe had been emptied and a chest of drawers searched. The cash was still in the hiding place indicated by the father-in-law, but jewelry and a bag were missing from the home.