Arson in Pyrénées-Orientales: up to 30 years imprisonment
Three men were convicted on Wednesday for deliberate arson that killed eight people in 2022 in Saint-Laurent-de-la-Salanque. The grocer and his brother, who had orchestrated the crime to collect insurance, will serve 30 years imprisonment.
Deadly fire: convictions at the criminal court
According to TF1 Info, the criminal court of Pyrénées-Orientales convicted three men on Wednesday for the arson of 13 February 2022 in Saint-Laurent-de-la-Salanque. The manager of the grocery store targeted and his brother each received a sentence of thirty years imprisonment; the arsonist, a young undocumented man, was sentenced to twenty-five years in prison.
The explosion and the fire that followed devastated the grocery store and the two adjacent buildings. Eight people died in the flames, including two young children. The Rachedi couple and four other family members were among the victims.
The two brothers had orchestrated the arson to collect insurance compensation. Throughout the trial, they denied their involvement. The arsonist acknowledged the facts during his hearing and presented his apologies. His lawyer, Maître Héloïse Dulieu, stressed that "twenty-five years is an extremely severe sentence" and noted that his client had shown sincerity and humanity.
Outside the courthouse, the pain of the victims' relatives remained acute. Anissa Rachedi, whose husband and four family members died, stated: "I died with them." She believed that the thirty-year sentence was not sufficient. Ludivine Torval, daughter of a victim, stressed the importance of the difference in treatment between the accused: "There is one who extended a hand to us, who apologised. And there are others who remained locked in their silence."
Source: TF1 Info