She walks painfully, leaning on a crutch.
Sylvie
(the first name has been changed)
, 40, cannot set foot on the ground, victim of a fracture of the malleolus and 45 days of total incapacity for work (ITT).
Marc
(the first name has been changed)
, 24, wears a leg brace following his sprained knee which earned him 15 days of ITT.
His other colleague Christophe
(the first name has been changed)
, 25, gets away with 7 days of ITT following the numerous blows he received in the face.
Violated by two brothers during a banal control linked to compliance with the curfew, on April 26 in Combs-la-Ville (Seine-et-Marne) after 10 p.m., these police officers from the night brigade of the agglomeration police station Melun-Val de Seine in Moissy-Cramayel went to the judicial court of Melun this Wednesday afternoon. Their two attackers, twin brothers aged 25, arrested on the evening of the violence, must be brought to trial immediately.
The context is tense.
In the courtroom are many colleagues of injured officials, as well as representatives of the unions Alliance 77 and Unit SGP Police 77. Family members of the defendants are also present.
But the surrounding malaise is replaced by another.
Domiciled in Quincy-sous-Sénart (Essonne), the twins ask for the postponement of the hearing date to better prepare their defense.
An inalienable right.
What will the court decide: pre-trial detention or judicial review?
The defendants also allegedly made death threats against the police on the evening of the crime.
Fear of retaliation
Lawyer for police officers, Me Guerreau pleads the first option. “This file arouses a major stir within the various teams of police officers. A psychological unit has even been set up because the facts are extremely serious, ”he asserts, listing the disabilities of the victims. “The family of the two defendants, who arrived at the scene, wanted to put pressure on the police officers. That is why it would be necessary that they be sidelined. There is a fear of reprisals from the family, if they are kept at large, even under judicial supervision. "
The prosecutor also requires pre-trial detention for several reasons: to avoid the risk of consultation between the two defendants, to avoid the risk of recurrence of the facts because they have already been sentenced to six and eight months in prison suspended in 2018 for violence in meetings. in September 2017 in Essonne. “Their reprieve, with probation, was not a long calm river, they are not able to respect the judicial control,” she says. She also mentions the risk of the duo not appearing at a subsequent hearing, especially since, on the evening of the incident, "they tried to flee".
Defense counsel, Me Fonteneau, dismantled these arguments.
“They already have the same version of the story.
In 2017, the violence committed was not on police officers.
And they have no will to run away: they know they are going to eat.
Their family will ensure that their little brothers are present on the day of a new hearing.
When they have the floor, the two defendants tell a completely different story, saying they are "victims of police violence".
The judges are listening.
"It is a lax and shameful decision!"
After withdrawing to deliberate, the court announces a new hearing on June 1 at 1:30 p.m. and the release under judicial supervision of the two brothers with the obligation to appear once a week at the Brunoy police station (Essonne) and to respond to inquiries. summons from the Essonne judicial control association once a week, the obligation to work or find training, the formal ban on appearing in Seine-et-Marne and coming into contact with the victims.
The measure makes the police unions scream. “It's a lax and shameful decision! Attackers of cops are real dangers. There is more and more violence against the police. We must not reverse responsibilities, ”says Christophe Gonzalez, regional secretary of Alliance 77, the majority union in Seine-et-Marne. Her night colleague says she is "disgusted" by the signal that this gives: "The police can be hit without justice putting their attackers aside while awaiting judgment ..."
Disgruntled, Julien Constant, departmental secretary of SGP Police Unit 77, believes that the decision will "generate anguish for colleagues, between the death threats they have received and the judgment scheduled in more than thirty days ... We are asking for a specific jurisdiction for the police ”. Another policeman grumbles as he leaves. “The prohibitions on appearing in the department are often not respected. Quincy-sous-Sénart borders Combs-la-Ville… ”
