Arrested Thursday evening in Lyon during urban violence in the Duchère district, a 20-year-old man was sentenced Monday in immediate appearance to eight months in prison before being imprisoned.
The public prosecutor had asked earlier for two years' imprisonment, including a suspended one, against Sefedinne D., tried for "aggravated violence" and "participation in a group formed for the preparation of violence".
Relaxed for this last reason, the defendant saw his sentence accompanied by a ban on carrying a weapon of 5 years.
"His approach, his build and his cap led the police to recognize him formally," said the prosecutor in his indictment, for whom "the group effect and the desire to promote oneself" were able to explain the choice to participate in the riots.
"I wanted to do my investigation, that's all"
Throughout the hearing, the defendant disputed his involvement in the clashes that had opposed young people and the police that evening, accused by residents of the neighborhood of having been involved in a scooter accident the day before.
The 13-year-old driver was seriously injured.
During the clashes, six vehicles were set on fire.
“I saw that it caught fire.
I wanted to do my investigation, that's all, ”said the young man in his box, claiming that he was then trying to find out who had just set fire to his brother's scooter in a neighborhood parking lot.
“It was horrifying what happened.
At no time did I mix with them, ”he said, speaking of troublemakers and stressing that his brother was then a refugee in his school located near the violence.
"A collective responsibility", pleads his lawyer
"He learned his text well, but it is not credible for a second," pleaded the lawyer for two police officers who were civil parties.
According to the latter, the young man, identifiable with his pink cap, the visor worn on the side, among about thirty individuals dressed in black, was indeed seen throwing projectiles towards the police.
"No pink cap has appeared in the video images paid to the procedure," replied the advice of Sefedinne D. The young man, known to the courts for degradations in 2015, "must not bear the weight of the collective responsibility for the riots in La Duchère, ”he added, asking for his release.
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From Thursday to Saturday, the Lyon metropolis was agitated by several nights of urban overflows, starting with the Duchère district.
A total of 21 people were arrested, the majority of whom were minors.
