The mayor of the small village of Villembits (Hautes-Pyrénées) was sentenced Tuesday to eight months in prison for “involuntary manslaughter”, after the accidental drowning of a two-year-old girl during the village festival in August 2023. But on Monday, the councilor received the support of the association of mayors of France of Hautes-Pyrénées (AMF65).
At the time of the tragedy, the victim’s mother – who had consumed alcohol and cannabis – fell into a river with the stroller in which her daughter was. The latter did not survive.
The mother was released, but the mayor and the president of the party committee were given a suspended prison sentence because alcohol had been served when it was prohibited, and the party had taken place near the river and not in the room where it was initially planned by municipal decree. During the trial, the mayor explained that he had expressed his disagreement when he learned that the party would take place outside, without daring to cancel it: “I couldn’t see myself doing that,” he said.
“We have the impression that we were looking for someone to blame”
Concerning his conviction, the board of directors of the AMF65 denounces “a disproportionate sanction for an elected official faced with a dramatic accident in his municipality”. “All the elected officials in the department were very shocked” when the decision was announced, Viviane Artigalas, president of the AMF65 and senator for Hautes-Pyrénées, told AFP. “We have the impression that we were looking for someone to blame. »
According to the AMF65, mayors of small towns have “fewer human and financial resources” to ensure the safety of their constituents, and are “often lonely, but with the same personal responsibilities” as their colleagues in larger communities.