Soldier who fled Tarbes court sentenced to additional 8 months
A 33-year-old paratrooper who escaped during a hearing in Tarbes in March was sentenced on Tuesday to 8 months in custody for his escape and ordered to pay €10,000 in damages.
Eight months custody for the soldier who jumped over courtroom furniture
The Tarbes court sentenced on Tuesday 25 August a 33-year-old soldier to 8 months in custody for his spectacular escape on 23 March, according to Google News FR — Crime (fr). The defendant was also ordered to pay €10,000 in damages, corresponding to the cost of repairing the glass doors he had smashed during his flight.
The paratrooper, from Ille-et-Vilaine and on sick leave, appeared in March at an immediate hearing for domestic violence as a repeat offence, under police escort. Around 19:00 hours, upon announcement of the court's deliberation, he took advantage of the semi-open configuration of the dock to evade his guards, jumping over the furniture before fleeing on foot. "One of the escort officers pursued him but unfortunately without success," the Tarbes prosecutor, Sylvie Martins-Guedes, had stated at the time.
By forcing open the glass doors of the entrance airlock, the man had completely destroyed the automatic opening mechanism. The fugitive episode lasted nearly three weeks, during which he had also "borrowed" his ex-partner's vehicle. He was finally apprehended on 12 April by the PSIG in Saint-Malo, Ille-et-Vilaine.
Back before the court on Tuesday, the defendant adopted a completely different stance. "This escape makes no sense," he stated, apologising to the officers and his family. His lawyer invoked post-traumatic stress, with psychiatric assessment having found impaired judgment.
The sentence handed down on Tuesday is in addition to 16 months in custody already imposed for domestic violence. The convicted man this time returned to his dock — now enclosed by large glass panels — without incident.
Source: Google News FR — Crime (fr)