A 30-year-old man was sentenced on Wednesday March 22 by the Besançon court to three years in prison for having beaten a police officer on the head with a skateboard, on the sidelines of a demonstration against the pension reform.
The man, judged in immediate appearance, was imprisoned at the end of the hearing.
He was also sentenced to a five-year ban from appearing in Franche-Comté, his lawyer, Me Julien Vernet, told AFP, confirming information from the regional daily L'Est
Républicain
.
"
Judging in the emotion of the moment is rarely a good thing
", analyzed the lawyer, while admitting the "
objective seriousness of the facts with regard to the police officer
", whose injuries required 18 stitches.
The facts took place Monday evening, on the sidelines of a demonstration against the pension reform, and were filmed by the local media Media 25.
Recognition of the facts
The images posted on Facebook show a policeman trying to arrest a protester alone, before being unbalanced, falling to the ground and being kicked by a hooded young man with a skateboard.
The defendant already had a "
substantial
" criminal record, according to his lawyer, with 7 convictions.
At the hearing, he "
fully acknowledged the facts and offered a sincere apology
", indicated Me Verlet.
The prosecutor, Étienne Manteaux, had requested a two-year prison sentence with a warrant of committal.
In a "
dispatch
" of March 18, the Keeper of the Seals, Éric Dupond-Moretti, ordered the prosecution to provide a "
systematic and rapid criminal response
" in the event of excesses in the demonstrations.
He had invited the magistrates to request “
additional penalties to avoid the repetition of the facts
”.
“
The penalties of banning stay (…) or banning from appearing in certain places seem particularly appropriate
”, he had estimated.
Sentenced, the 30-year-old has ten days to appeal.
A new demonstration is planned for Thursday afternoon in Besançon to protest against the pension reform.