Just a few hours' difference, which has its administrative significance. A gendarme from the Latresne barracks, in Gironde, was sentenced on Friday to a two-month suspended prison sentence and a ban on holding public office for backdating the birth of his daughter, according to our colleagues at Sud-Ouest.
On January 1, 2022, a midwife came to the door of the soldier's barracks: she had just participated in the delivery of the gendarme's wife at her home, and had forgotten her phone at the home of the new parents. It was on this occasion that the commander of the barracks learned that the gendarme had become a father, and therefore congratulated his colleague.
Administrative Benefits
The latter learns the happy news to the rest of the workforce a few days later... mentioning December 31 as her daughter's date of birth. Her supervisor pointed out the error in the date: the midwife had indeed forgotten her phone on 1 January. The respondent readily admits to his colleagues this arrangement with reality, emphasizing its practicality and the advantages obtained in terms of taxes and education.
During the trial, the soldier claimed that his superiors had "misunderstood" and maintained that his daughter was born on 31 December. This version was corroborated by the midwife and her wife, the latter regretting "malicious, nasty and jealous colleagues", reports Sud-Ouest. The midwife deplored the opening of an investigation for "minor facts".
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The deputy prosecutor of Bordeaux, Sylvie Rodrigues, deplores the bad faith of the gendarme. "Her superiors did not dream what they heard from her mouth and this is consistent with the midwife's recording. It gets everyone on board. This private matter has become public and professional. The question of his probity and credibility to represent the authority arises," she said during the hearing, according to the local daily.
Despite the acquittal, the court sentenced the gendarme to a two-month suspended sentence and a ban on holding public office.