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Lynching of an inmate at Les Baumettes: 14 to 20 years in prison for five young people

2020-09-03T17:31:04.184Z


Five young inmates of Baumettes were sentenced Thursday, September 3 to terms of 14 to 20 years in prison for the lynching of a fellow inmate, a scene of incredible violence that took place in a courtyard of Marseille prison in December 2017. When the verdict was pronounced, Ameur Benkrama, the most heavily convicted, launched several times: “ But I am 22 years old! ". Read also: At the assizes,


Five young inmates of Baumettes were sentenced Thursday, September 3 to terms of 14 to 20 years in prison for the lynching of a fellow inmate, a scene of incredible violence that took place in a courtyard of Marseille prison in December 2017. When the verdict was pronounced, Ameur Benkrama, the most heavily convicted, launched several times: “

But I am 22 years old!

".

Read also: At the assizes, the incredible violence of the lynching of a detainee at Les Baumettes

For him as for his four co-defendants, the Assize Court of Bouches-du-Rhône upheld the qualification of murder while the defense contested the homicidal intention and wanted a disqualification in willful violence resulting in death without intention of the give.

On Wednesday, the Advocate General had requested individual sentences for the five accused in order to take into account the degree of involvement of each in the 80 seconds that this avalanche of blows lasted, but also their judicial past.

Christophe Raffin had called for sentences ranging between 20 and 30 years of criminal imprisonment.

Sentenced to 20 years in prison, Ameur Benkrama, was accused of having delivered the first punch that knocked Ramses Aly el Sayed to the ground, and gave the last kick in the head.

The images recorded by the prison cameras also show him leaning on the shoulders of two others in order to jump with both feet on the face of the victim.

Hasni Medjmedj, 21, was sentenced to 18 years of imprisonment after having kicked 25, Fethi Belhadj, 22, to 17 years of imprisonment for having notably struck a dozen violent crutches.

Two defendants, a little more withdrawn during this episode of violence described as "

cure

" by the attorney general, Akim Ali Cherif, 26, and Djedid Ali, 23, were sentenced to 14 years in prison.

"Wolves in a pack"

On the last day of a trial marked by the broadcast on the screens of the Assize Court of the recording of the lynching by the prison cameras, the lawyers of the five accused tried to convince that none of them had had the will to kill, but that they had acted in a ripple effect and outbidding.

"

The group phenomenon sometimes makes people crazy, including the most normal

", pleaded Thierry Ospital.

They wanted to give him a big beating, there is a will to hurt and even very badly.

There is a terrible outburst of violence but no homicidal intent

”.

For his colleague Me Anthony Joheir, “

the group had a catalytic effect on violence but there was no structured scenario, no leader, no organization, just the impulsiveness of young men, the result of confinement. which makes you lose your bearings

”.

An analysis shared by Me Samira Keïta, lawyer for the victim's mother and two brothers, according to which "

the group phenomenon has made them wolves in a pack

".

The defense also pleaded the "

battered personality

" of the defendants who, at the material time, were between 19 and 23 years old.

Defender of Ameur Benkrama, Me Sandra Vaknin thus recalled "

the waltz of placements in homes and foster families

" known by the young accused in his childhood.

The home and the street are the law of the strongest, you have to strike before being struck.

He's been in so many brawls so, in his mind, hitting doesn't mean death,

”she pleaded.

The jurors ruled out the aggravating circumstance of ambush that the Advocate General had wished to see added to the murder charge.

For the defense, the scene of violence did not take place in an isolated corner or a blind spot of surveillance cameras.

At the last minute of their trial, the five defendants, their faces under a surgical mask, again asked for forgiveness from the victim's family, one assuring "

never to have wanted to come to this

", the other wishing by above all that "

[his] apologies be accepted

".

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2020-09-03

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