Rouen: five minors tried in summary proceedings following violence on 17 October
Five people, including minors, appeared in court on Monday in Rouen following looting and violence on 17 October. The prosecution placed 29 people in custody.
Legal proceedings following Rouen incidents
According to BFM TV, five people were tried in summary proceedings on Monday 19 October afternoon at Rouen tribunal for their involvement in violence and looting on 17 October. Among the 29 people held in custody, five are minors and eight have already been remanded to the courts.
The charges brought include violence against public authorities, aggravated theft and participation in a gathering with faces concealed. One case was dismissed for lack of sufficient evidence, whilst the others resulted in subsequent summonses.
Incidents on Saturday 17 October
The demonstration on Saturday 17 October was accompanied by scenes of massive looting in Rouen city centre. Several shops were vandalised, notably the windows of an insurance company and a video games shop near the law courts and on Rue Jeanne-d'Arc. Two banks were also set on fire.
A police officer was hospitalised after being struck by a paving stone on Rue Jeanne-d'Arc. In surrounding neighbourhoods, bins and a vehicle were set on fire in Elbeuf, and the Carrefour Market store in Petit Quevilly was robbed. The government announced that 1,200 arrests took place across the country and 150 police officers and gendarmes were injured.
Ongoing investigations
A fire also broke out during the night of 16 to 17 October at around 2:40 a.m. on the Mont-Saint-Aignan campus of Rouen-Normandy University. A criminal investigation was opened to determine the circumstances. In Rouen, several additional investigations are ongoing to identify other perpetrators of violence and looting. According to the Federation of Commerce and Distribution, more than 1,500 shops were looted or damaged in France over this weekend.
Source: BFM TV