Wallet theft in Anglet: 4 months prison for man with 26th conviction
A 33-year-old man was sentenced by the Bayonne court to four months of prison for a wallet theft that resulted in no financial loss.
Criminal record weighs heavily in wallet theft with no financial loss in Anglet
A man from Orthez, aged 33, was sentenced on Thursday by the Bayonne criminal court to four months of imprisonment, according to Google News FR — Crime (fr). The facts date back to Monday 24 August: the defendant had stolen a wallet from a vehicle parked in a victim's residential building in Anglet, before attempting to use the victim's bank card in a bar-tobacconist in Tarnos.
This was his 26th conviction.
Zero euros in damages, but documented attempt
The victim, a resident of Anglet, encountered the individual in the garage of his residential building without realising his wallet had just been taken from his vehicle. As soon as he discovered it was missing, he blocked his bank card via his bank's mobile application.
The thief had meanwhile travelled to Tarnos, where he attempted to purchase 30 euros worth of cigarettes and scratch cards. The transaction failed as the card was blocked. The victim, alerted by the banking application to an attempted use in Tarnos, went to the location and recognised the individual. The latter offered to take the victim to the place where he claimed to have thrown the wallet, but the item was not found. The offender was then arrested and placed in pre-trial detention. The final financial loss came to zero euros.
Profile examined at hearing
At the hearing, the defendant answered all questions without objection and admitted all the facts. He explained that he had only wanted money to eat. An expert report describes him as a person of limited intelligence, with a level of education corresponding to primary school year 4.
His criminal record shows 25 previous convictions for facts of a similar nature, without violence. The prosecution requested eight months of prison. The defence requested "one month or less", arguing that there was no actual financial loss. The victim did not bring a civil claim.
Four months firm, immediate return to detention
The court imposed a sentence of four months of imprisonment. The convicted man was returned to detention at the end of the hearing.
Source: Google News FR — Crime (fr)