He was a man who had the vocation to help others and who turned into a predator. The 39-year-old Paris firefighter was arrested late Wednesday afternoon at the Blanche barracks in Paris (IX).
He is suspected of having raped a policewoman who returned to her home in Guyancourt (Yvelines) during the night of Saturday, January 31 to Sunday, February 1.
Assaulted at 3 a.m.
That night, it is 3 am when the young woman returns home. She is followed by a tall, strong man. She goes up the stairs and he joins her on her landing. They exchange a few words and the man pretends to go to another apartment.
When the victim opens the door to his apartment, he pounces on her and grabs her by the throat. The police defends herself, kicking him. But she does not make the weight, facing this strong fellow. He starts by asking her for money then manages to make her fall to the ground before abusing her. The police took advantage of a brief respite to run to the door of her apartment, which had remained open, and to cry for help. The maneuver paid off and the rapist fled. A neighbor comes out and sees the man leaving the car.
Already known for family abandonment
Quickly, the police arrive and collect traces and clues at the scene and hear witnesses. Departmental security investigators are responsible for conducting the investigations. Contact DNA fingerprints are positive. The name of this Paris firefighter comes out of the file. He is already known for acts of family abandonment committed in the context of his divorce in 2012.
This soldier from the prestigious BSPP (Paris Fire Brigade) was out of service at the time of the events. "Big guy over 1m80", according to a police source, he is attached to the 1st Fire and Rescue Group of the 7th Company, to the Blanche barracks, one of the oldest in Paris, rue Blanche (IXe) . He has 16 years of service at the BSPP.
Arrested at his workplace
"He has a family situation," said a source familiar with the matter. He lives in the Yvelines with his partner with whom he is PACS. The latter is the mother of two daughters. Installed in the Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse sector, he had already been spotted by the police in Guyancourt where he seemed to have his habits. When on duty, the soldier lodges in Paris, at the White barracks. It was also there, at his workplace, that the police came to arrest him.
After his arrest, the firefighter was placed in police custody at the security premises in Viroflay. He first denied the facts and challenged the schedule established by the investigators. He was identified by the victim. The investigators will exploit his cell phone. "The young woman heard him say that he had spotted her for several days, specifies a source close to the affair, and it is an element that still needs to be verified".
Psychiatric expertise
In the next few hours, the suspect must meet with a psychiatric expert. His police custody was extended by twenty-four hours at the end of the day. He must be presented Friday to an examining magistrate who should put him on trial for rape.
Stunned firefighters
This Thursday, at the Paris fire department, it was astonishment. "They have just come out of the commemoration of the fire in Erlanger Street, where some firefighters risked their lives to extract people from the flames," said a soldier, speaking on condition of anonymity. This story, for them, is terrible, it casts stigma on the whole body. The weakness of one should not call into question the 500,000 interventions per year and the strength of the collective. ”
"We will be intractable"
At the Champerret barracks (17th century), flagship of the fire soldiers from all over Paris and the small crown, Lieutenant-Colonel Gabriel Plus, spokesperson for the BSPP, declared that "we are at the disposal of the justice system to do shatter the truth ", while recalling that" it is a question of respecting the presumption of innocence. We first think of the victim and his relatives. ”
Yvelines Newsletter
Every morning, the news of your department seen by Le ParisienI'm registering
Your email address is collected by Le Parisien to allow you to receive our news and commercial offers. Find out more
“If the act is proven, continues Gabriel Plus, it is very serious and we will be intractable. We preach zero tolerance for this kind of case. In addition to penal measures, there will be military measures, with a disciplinary sanction and potentially a termination of contract with us. "
Paris firefighters already involved in rape cases
Last May, six firefighters from the Plaisance barracks (XIV) were arrested, placed in police custody and brought before an investigating judge. At the end of the investigation, none of them had been charged, but all had been placed under the status of assisted witness.
This evening in May, the soldiers of the BSPP (Paris Fire Brigade) had met Norwegian students in a bar, had brought them back to the barracks, had been drinking. In the early hours of the morning, one of them was found crying in the bathroom and said that she had been raped.
Last July, three firefighters originally charged with aggravated rape of a 13-year-old girl were sent to correctional for sexual assault. An offense punishable by up to ten years in prison.
In December 2018, ten former firefighters from the prestigious BSPP gymnastics team appeared in court for sexual assault. Two gymnasts, 21 and 23 years old, had chosen to break the silence, after a hazing that had gone wrong.
