A 57-year-old man was sentenced Tuesday to two years in prison suspended by the criminal court of Saint-Nazaire, a year after the accidental death of his 15-year-old daughter during an outing in a towed buoy.
"
It is I who am responsible
", immediately recognized at the bar the defendant, trader in Rungis and living in Neuilly-sur-Seine (Hauts-de-Seine).
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On August 7, 2019, his 15-year-old daughter was struck by the propeller of the boat he had rented for a towed buoy trip off Pornichet (Loire-Atlantique).
The teenager had fallen into the water and he had handed over the controls of the boat to his 12-year-old son.
Deputy prosecutor Jean-François Héry described "
a drama resulting from an unfortunate chain of non-compliance
", "
a chain of unfortunate and culpable facts
".
The father showed "a
lot of lightness
", estimated the magistrate.
His 12-year-old son was in fact not allowed to drive the boat and he himself did not use the circuit breaker fitted to the boat.
The practice of the towed buoy also requires the presence of a person over 16 years old, in addition to the driver, to monitor the towed persons.
The magistrate requested a two-year suspended prison sentence.
The defendant "
already pays his sentence on a daily basis
", pleaded Me Frédéric Champagne, defense lawyer, believing that his client, separated from the mother of his children, "
suffers the suffering of the disappearance of a loved one and the suffering more guilt.
"
