Square jaw, thick eyebrows and short hair. This Thursday, the Auxerre gendarmerie released the robot portrait of one of the alleged assailants of Nicolas Demajean, president of the animal shelter Ranch of Hope located in Villefranche-Saint-Phal (Yonne).
During the night from Monday to Tuesday, Nicolas Demajean was awakened by the cries of animals. He notices the presence of two intruders and goes to meet them. It was at this point that one of the two individuals attacks him with a billhook and lacerates his left forearm. The two individuals then fled.
Two ponies were slashed with knives, one over 50 cm, the other over 25 cm, as well as a saddle horse, with a 20 cm scar, specifies Nicolas Demajean who had to be hospitalized, victim total incapacity for work for four days. " There are no words. It is barbarism, cruelty. And a free act because these animals cannot defend themselves, ”he breathes.
The trail of a sectarian drift studied
The next day, the leader of the association for the defense of animals lodged a complaint and drew up a composite portrait with the gendarmes. The investigation was entrusted to the gendarmes of the Auxerre search brigade.
This aggression comes at a time when cases of mutilated horses have continued to increase since the beginning of the year in France. The track of a sectarian drift is officially studied. This Thursday, Marlène Schiappa, the Minister Delegate for Citizenship, announced that the Interministerial Mission for Vigilance and the Fight against Sectarian Abuses (Miviludes) was going to “provide support” to the investigation by the national gendarmerie.
Concerning the investigation in Yonne, any useful information can be communicated to the following address: br.auxerre + horses89@gendarmerie.interieur.gouv.fr or via the Facebook page of the Yonne gendarmerie