Resale of stolen key linked to murder in Nîmes: six months in prison for 27-year-old man
A 27-year-old man has been sentenced to six months in prison for selling a stolen car key that was subsequently used in a murder in Nîmes in 2021.
Stolen car key, Kalashnikov murder: Nîmes court sentences the reseller
A 27-year-old man was sentenced to six months in prison by the Nîmes criminal court on Tuesday 2 June for complicity in theft. According to midilibre.fr, he was accused of having sold a car key from a vehicle that he himself had stolen on 23 October 2020 in Uzès.
The president of the court detailed the facts: the defendant had spent several days testing the key to find the corresponding vehicle before reselling it to a minor known for his involvement in drug trafficking.
A few months later, on 18 January 2021, the car in question was used in a murder case in the Pissevin district of Nîmes. Sémy, a young man of 22 years with no connection to drug trafficking, was killed by a burst of Kalashnikov fire.
The defendant claimed he had no knowledge of the criminal use of the vehicle at the time of the sale. His solicitor, Me Hugo Ferri, emphasised this distinction: "His act, however disagreeable it may be, has nothing to do with these criminal facts."
The prosecutor Nathalie Welté nevertheless characterised this case as a "perfect illustration of the snowball effect", recalling that the defendant had "come close to a criminal trial". She also highlighted the difficulties faced by the defendant in "complying with the rules", his criminal record containing thirteen entries. The prosecution sought six months in prison, with the possibility of a measure involving an electronic monitoring bracelet — a sentence that the court confirmed.
Source: Google News FR — Crime (fr)