The Reims court on Tuesday sentenced a former Stade de Reims player to three years' imprisonment, two of which were suspended for violence committed in December 2016 on a high school student, witness to a quarrel between him and his companion.
The prosecution had requested three years' imprisonment, one of which was suspended.
The defense has indicated it will appeal.
Read also: The footballer from Reims, indicted for violence, will play in Israel
Antoine Conte, 22 years old at the time of the facts, player of the Stade de Reims between 2013 and 2017 and now holder of the Beitar Jerusalem club (Israel) admitted to having struck two violent hits with a baseball bat on the hip and the skull of Liam Jean, a high school student, 19 years old at the material time.
With three friends, Liam Jean had approached the footballer's garden because they “
had heard cries of distress and calls for help from a woman
”.
“
It was necessary to intervene,
” said Liam Jean at the helm.
Antoine Conte, after insulting these young people by yelling at them to leave, returned to his home then came out armed with a bat to violently hit the high school student twice.
“
I had to stop a career as a musician,
” the victim sadly explained to the judges in Reims.
He put this loss in parallel with the career of a professional football player pursued by Antoine Conte.
The victim described the many after-effects caused by the assault in December 2016: loss of dexterity in the left hand and part of the hearing in the right ear, migraines, fatigue crisis, stress, inability to concentrate ... "
23% permanent deficit
" recalled Me Pauline Manesse for the civil party, "
injuries of absolute gravity
".
She deplored having "
heard little regrets
" from the defendant, present at the trial.
"
Antoine Conte regrets these facts but he did not realize the gravity of his act and its consequences
", pleaded for his defense Me David Missistrano.
He challenged the description of a surge of violence evoked by the prosecutor Pédro Teixeira, who implicated "
unspeakable, odious and cruel violence
".
“
He only landed two blows.
We are not in the beating,
”noted the lawyer.
"
With the prison sentence required by the prosecutor, he is being denied his life
", he added, asking for "
a sentence compatible with the life that Antoine Conte leads today calmly
".