Falzone Trial: Paolo Convicted of Seven Murders, Sentences Handed Down at Mons
Paolo Falzone was found guilty of seven murders and 79 attempted murders. His friend Antonino was convicted of failure to assist a person in danger.
Verdict Delivered at Lotto Mons Expo in Strépy-Bracquegnies Tragedy
The reading of the final judgment in the Falzone trial began on Wednesday at around 10:40 at Lotto Mons Expo, according to rtl.be. Paolo Falzone was found guilty of seven murders and 79 attempted murders. Antonino Falzone, the vehicle's driver, was found guilty of failure to assist a person in danger.
"We are here for the final stage of this completely extraordinary trial. A very important moment for the civil parties as it marks the culmination of more than four years of legal battles and also the conclusion of a month and a half of very intense proceedings," declared journalist Justine Roldan Perez.
On 20 March 2022, shortly after 5:00 am, Paolo Falzone was at the wheel of a BMW which struck a carnival group collecting Gilles on Rue des Canadiens in Strépy-Bracquegnies.
Public Prosecutor's Submissions
On Tuesday, the public prosecutor's counsel had requested a sentence of 27 years' imprisonment against Paolo Falzone, asking the panel composed of the jury and the court not to go below 24 years. For Antonino Falzone, the public prosecutor had requested two years' imprisonment for failure to assist around fifty people in danger, including minors.
For their part, the defence counsel argued differently: Paolo Falzone's counsel requested a sentence of 25 years' imprisonment, whilst Antonino's counsel pleaded for an independent probation sentence of two years. Unlike Paolo Falzone, Antonino had not spent a single day in preventive detention.
Deliberations and Continuation of Proceedings
On Tuesday, the jurors and the court of assizes withdrew to deliberate one final time before the sentences were handed down on Wednesday morning. This verdict marks the penultimate judicial stage in this case: a hearing devoted to the civil aspect will be organised at a later date.
Source: Google News BE FR