A 21-year-old man was sentenced on Tuesday April 19 by the Paris Assize Court to 13 years' imprisonment for rape and homophobic violence as well as for repeat fraud.
To discover
LIVE - War in Ukraine: follow minute by minute the evolution of the conflict
Read alsoTwo men in court for attempted homophobic assassination and apology for terrorism
"
It's a harsh but deserved verdict, given the seriousness of the facts and their homophobic nature
," said Me Louise Dumont Saint Priest, the victim's lawyer, to AFP.
Anton Rondaut, 21, was accused of raping and assaulting C., another man, in August 2019, because of his sexual orientation.
In Paris, as he left a bar around 4:00 a.m. in the Saint-Michel district, C. was accosted by Rondaut and another man, "
Mehdi
", who has not been found.
The two men would then have offered to go for a drink.
"I don't like gay people"
C. had been dragged into a bicycle garage in an apartment building before being assaulted, called a “
dirty fag
” and kicked several times in the face and stomach.
He was then raped by Rondaut, "
Mehdi
" having fled.
Rondaut left the victim unconscious after stealing various items from him, including a watch and a wallet containing a bank card with which he then made purchases.
The violence suffered resulted in the victim being totally incapacitated for work for more than eight days.
During the investigation, the victim had specified that he had been questioned by his attackers about his sexual orientation and had declared to be homosexual.
Rondaut had also indicated during his interrogations that he often happened to “
pass
” through the Parisian district of the Marais, to “ get
confused with homosexuals and to put (them) a little correction
”.
"
I don't like gays
," he admitted during the investigation, when he did not recognize the rape but said he regretted the theft and the violence.
The investigation had pointed to “
changing, vague and inconsistent
” statements on his part.
On the contrary, the statements of the victim had been “
constant
” and corroborated by the expert opinions and medical findings.
Read alsoHomophobic aggression in Essonne: two minors brought to justice
A minor, Rondaut had already been sentenced in particular in 2019 by the Créteil children's court to 10 months' imprisonment for a robbery with violence.
During the personality investigation, Rondaut had mentioned domestic violence committed by his father, leading to his placement at 12 years old.
Rape, if aggravated by the sexual orientation of the victim, is punishable by 20 years in prison.