The trial is scheduled to last three days before the Sarthe Assize Court in Le Mans. From this Monday, a 29-year-old man will be tried for willful violence resulting in death without intention of inflicting death on a person holding public authority, reports West France. The tragedy dates back to August 6, 2020. That night, the accused was spotted by a police patrol when he had fallen asleep at the wheel of his car in the middle of the road near Le Mans station. The three officers approached the vehicle to check the driver but the latter, drunk, sped off, hitting one of the police officers head-on.
Aged 43 and father of three children, Brigadier Eric Monroy died on the spot. A national tribute was paid to him a few days later in Le Mans in the presence of Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin. Already convicted in the past for driving while drunk and refusing to comply, the accused faces up to twenty years of criminal imprisonment.