Urban violence in Guadeloupe: three men sentenced to community service
At Pointe-à-Pitre court, three men with no criminal records were sentenced on Monday to community service work for receiving stolen goods and blockades. Their lawyers deplore the absence of the principal perpetrators.
First convictions following urban violence in Guadeloupe
On Monday 19 October, the criminal court of Pointe-à-Pitre handed down its first decisions in the context of urban violence that occurred in Guadeloupe, according to rci.fm. Three men, all without criminal records, appeared in immediate proceedings.
Two of them, aged 22 and 27, had been arrested the day before, Sunday 18 October, at around 5 o'clock in the morning. In their vehicle were found telephone accessories taken from the looting of the Bureau Vallée store in Pointe-à-Pitre, which had been committed a few hours earlier. One of the two defendants, a docker by profession, claimed to have purchased the equipment. The other admitted to having picked it up from the ground, knowing it was of fraudulent origin. Both were sentenced to one month of community service work (TIG), or 140 hours each, for aggravated receiving of stolen goods.
The third case concerned incidents in Petit-Bourg. An 18-year-old young man appeared for acts of violence against police officers at a burning barricade on Monday morning. He admitted to having placed a tyre there, but denied throwing stones and fireworks. The court sentenced him to two months of community service work, or 240 hours, together with a fine of 500 euros.
The three convicted individuals will have to serve their sentences or face conversion to custodial imprisonment.
The defence denounces the absence of the principal perpetrators
The lawyer for the defendants, Maître Olivier Chipan, strongly criticised the composition of the court. "Those we expected had long since gone when my client was arrested, nearly two hours after the looting of Bureau Vallée began," he stated. He specified that his client's boot contained only "a charger, a phone case, computer protection and a phone stand" — items he described as "trifles that had nothing to do with what happened a few hours earlier".
Regarding the sentence imposed, Maître Chipan considered it to "seem fair", whilst highlighting its unusual nature for immediate proceedings. "The requests for eight months of custodial imprisonment were clearly intended to set an example, I was very surprised," he added.
Concerning the young man from Petit-Bourg, the lawyer acknowledged the reprehensible nature of the gesture, but highlighted his client's lack of criminal record. He also noted that individuals identified publicly, particularly on television or radio, would have committed more serious acts — such as the blockade of the Jarry economic zone — without being subject to prosecution. "Why does the public prosecutor's office not prosecute these individuals?" he questioned.
The defence furthermore deplored that only individuals arrested after the events were brought to justice, with the principal perpetrators, described as masked, not having been presented before the court.
Further hearings expected during the week
The criminal court of Pointe-à-Pitre is expected to examine other cases related to the urban violence throughout the week. These first convictions mark the beginning of a series of legal proceedings following the disturbances that shook the archipelago.
Source: Google News GP — Crime