Justice has ruled in the Théo case.
While up to three years in prison had been requested against three police officers, the Seine-Saint-Denis Assize Court decided to sentence them on Friday to suspended prison sentences of 3 to 12 months.
In 2017, the arrest of Théo Luhaka degenerated.
The young man had been injured in the anus by a baton.
He has lifelong aftereffects.
Also read Théo affair: “I will always be the one the police raped”
The main accused, Marc-Antoine C., 34, was prosecuted for intentional violence resulting in “permanent mutilation or infirmity” on the victim, with the aggravating circumstances of his status as a person holding public authority, with a weapon. and in meetings.
It is also because Théodore Luhaka has irreversible after-effects of his arrest on February 2, 2017 in Aulnay-sous-Bois (Seine-Saint-Denis) that the police have found themselves in the dock for two weeks.
However, such prosecutions remain rare in the case of alleged police violence.
VIDEO.
Théo case: up to three years of suspended prison sentence required against the three police officers
Loïc Pageot, the attorney general, justified the requisitions both by the “absence of legal history” of the three accused and by the long duration of the case.
This changed with the video of the arrest.
While the victim has his back against the wall, held in a vice by two police officers, he receives a blow with the tip of a telescopic defense baton (BTD).
His sphincter (ring muscle) tears.
A move “taught at school”
“I felt violated,” Théo Luhaka confided on the stand.
The young man, who celebrated his 29th birthday at the opening of the trial, dreamed of being a “great footballer”.
He now suffers from incontinence and locks himself in his room where he watches the same detective series over and over again.
The officer who carried out the thrust expressed his “compassion” for the victim, but considered his blow “legitimate” and claimed that it had been “taught to him at school”.
Read also Théo affair: the “legitimate” baton technique even if its “consequences are dramatic”
Added to this gesture were tear gas shots, knee strikes and punches delivered by the peace guards when Théo was handcuffed on the ground.
One of the police officers conceded an illegitimate move during his interrogation linked to his “exasperation” at having lost “control over an arrest”.
An administrative investigation by the General Inspectorate of the National Police, “the police of police”, concluded that there was “a disproportionate use of force”.
The specialized field brigade (BST) where the three police officers worked had been the subject of several complaints.
They were transferred to their regions of origin.
The day after this affair, which caused a wave of indignation reinforced by the publication of videos, violence broke out in the Paris suburbs.
Théo Luhaka had called for calm from his hospital bed, where the young man had received a visit from President François Hollande.