Bastia: four years' prison for aggravated assault on coach suspected of child sexual abuse
A 26-year-old man has been sentenced in Bastia for violently assaulting a sports coach, who had twice been convicted of sexual abuse of minors. The victim sustained 45 days of temporary incapacity for work.
Convicted of aggravated assault in Bastia, he invoked the protection of a minor
The Bastia district court sentenced a 26-year-old man on Tuesday 15 September to four years' imprisonment, of which 30 months were suspended with probation for two years, for aggravated assault on a sports coach. According to ici.fr, the case illustrates, according to the court's own words, "typical behaviours of those seeking to do the work of justice in cases of child sexual abuse".
The facts date back to the night of 11 to 12 September 2023, in Lumio. Francescu Agostini, then aged 23, and owner of a sports facility, assaulted Antoni Straboni, a sports coach at the establishment. The victim, aged 38, had been convicted twice for assault and sexual abuse of minors — in 2008 and 2020 — and was found to have sustained 45 days of temporary incapacity for work following the assault.
Suspicions, then a violent intervention
In court, Agostini retraced the sequence of events that led him to act. "I started to have suspicions when I saw the unusual relationship he maintained with Florian, a minor at the gym", he stated before the judge. After discovering the coach's criminal record, he claims to have questioned the young Florian, who allegedly told him he was a victim of blackmail. "When he told me the evening of 11 September that he was going to the gym for a lesson with Straboni, I saw it as a cry for help", he explained during his police interview.
Arriving at the scene in the middle of the night, Agostini says he saw the coach "in his underwear, alone with Florian". He then struck the man and conducted what he himself acknowledges as a particularly violent "interrogation". He contests, however, having struck blows to the face or used a weapon, despite numerous cuts and bruises noted at the hospital.
"I should have called the police"
Before the court, the defendant expressed repeated regret. "I am extremely ashamed today. It was not my role, I should have called the police", he stated on several occasions. He also admitted to deleting data from the victim's mobile telephone — notably naked photographs of presumed minors, which allegedly had been obtained through blackmail or corruption. This deletion had direct consequences on the judicial proceedings against Straboni: "Justice had no choice but to proceed towards acquittal regarding Mr Straboni", Agostini admitted.
For his part, Antoni Straboni maintained that his assailant was armed and had made death threats. "I fear for my life. I am today a living dead man. My life is ruined. I will never find work again. I am not a paedophile and I have paid for my wrongs", he stated in court. When questioned about money sent to minors, he alluded to "sports betting". Regarding nicknames given to young people, he acknowledged: "It is true that I need affection. I lost my mother."
"One does not take the law into one's own hands"
The victim's lawyer, Ms Anna-Livia Guerrini, reminded the court that "it is not possible to take justice into one's own hands, to use violence, to react in such a way to public rumour". The prosecutor adopted a similar tone, urging the judges to render a decision "that transcends dogmatic thinking". "To understand Mr Agostini's anger, yes. But to legitimise his vigilantism, what it has caused, no", she argued, whilst emphasising the defendant's profile, "perfectly integrated into society, who spontaneously acknowledged his error".
The court followed this submission. Francescu Agostini was found guilty of assault with premeditation and sentenced to four years' imprisonment, of which 30 months were suspended with probation, coupled with an obligation to work and to undergo treatment. Having already served eight months of remand custody, he left the courtroom a free man, the remainder of his sentence being administered under electronic monitoring.
Two other people involved in this case were to be tried on Wednesday 16 September before the Bastia juvenile court.
Source: Google News FR — Crime (fr)