The Nouméa Criminal Court sentenced two police officers to prison terms on Tuesday, September 27 for manslaughter, for having caused the death of a woman in a road accident, while they were heavily alcoholic.
On December 4, 2021, the two police officers, who were not on duty at the time of the events, had struck a vehicle while driving at excessive speed at the exit of the village of Poindimié (east of New Caledonia).
A 66-year-old woman died and two other people were seriously injured, one still suffering from the after-effects of the accident.
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The driver, a 47-year-old peacekeeper, had a blood alcohol level of 3.2 grams per liter of blood.
The passenger, a 54-year-old police captain, owner of the vehicle in question, had a blood alcohol level of 2 g/l.
They were sentenced respectively to three years and two years in prison.
Responsible alcohol
The investigation showed that the two men had started drinking two days earlier and that they had driven several times during this period.
On the day of the accident, they had notably consumed alcohol in the vehicle and had stopped a few minutes before the tragedy in a grocery store to buy two bottles of whiskey, liqueurs and beer.
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In his argument, the public prosecutor denounced "
the feeling of impunity and the overwhelming responsibility of two police officers who mocked the law they are supposed to enforce
".
In New Caledonia, 50 people died in a road accident in 2021. Reported to the population, this is four times more than in mainland France, according to annual data published by the local government.
In 75% of cases, alcohol is involved in the accident.