The scenario may well be incredible, it almost came to fruition. During the night from Saturday to Sunday, around 4 a.m., Douha M., a 31-year-old Hérault woman, stuck S, managed to escape from her cell in Fresnes prison, on the 2nd floor, by digging a hole in the wall of his cell and then rappelling down using a sheet. She was finally arrested shortly after the incident, within the confines of the penitentiary. “Considering Fresnes’ condition, I’m hardly surprised that you can dig a hole with a teaspoon. The walls are so porous, you just have to run your hand over them and dust emerges, ”blows Laurent *, a supervisor who has been in post for ten years. The national anti-terrorism prosecution, which took up the case, opened an investigation for escape and terrorist association.
“The hole is not really big, it must be a head and a half, no more. She is thin, but she probably had to contort herself to pass, ”said a prison source. Arrived on the rampart walk, his presence was spotted by motion detectors. She was arrested without making any resistance. According to our information, traces on the ceiling of her cell also suggest that the detainee considered going through the roofs of the establishment before giving up this option.
An inmate who did not pose “difficulties”
“She was a polite, calm and reserved woman, remembers Juanita, supervisor for eight years in Fresnes and FO prison delegate. But in general, in the women’s quarter, there are few difficulties. If this case had happened among men, we would have been much less surprised. Douha M. had been in pre-trial detention since December 2017, arrested on her return from Syria, after joining the ranks of the Islamic State. “It did not pose any particular difficulty in detention,” confirms a source familiar with the matter. No trial date was yet set.
When did she put her plan into action? Did she benefit from complicity? This will be determined by the investigations entrusted by the prosecution to the anti-terrorism section of the criminal brigade and to the DGSI. According to Juanita, the bar survey takes place every day. “It’s pretty fast because we have a lot to do, but it requires a lot of concentration, especially on the noise they make. Each time we cast an eye to the left and to the right. »Cell searches are scheduled and take place at least once a month, more regularly if the inmate behaves suspiciously. “It’s a fairly thorough search, assures Laurent. But if there is a poster or an item of real estate in front of the hole, you have to be more pugnacious. Both assures us that the rather quiet area for women could also have deceived the vigilance of the guards.
Security work
If the escape was cut short, it nevertheless highlights major security flaws in this prison, the second largest in France behind Fleury-Mérogis. Sunday, a few hours after the discovery of the escape attempt, all the cells in the women’s quarter were searched and checked. Without anything abnormal being brought to light. A new check, in particular of the building itself, will be organized in the coming days. “The whole building is crumbling, she would never have managed to dig a wall with a spoon if it was in good condition,” insists Juanita.
Security work – decided long before this affair – will also begin in 2022. They mainly concern the surroundings of the establishment: securing the aerial domain above the prison with the installation of cables or nets to prevent sending. projectiles but also areas reserved for supervisors, especially car parks, which are regularly damaged. Inside, new motion detectors should be installed and supervisors equipped with more efficient means to communicate internally. “4.5 million euros are allocated to this work for 2022, insists a source familiar with the matter. This is the biggest budget in the 100 million euro security plan for next year. “
At the same time, and despite several appeals from the Ministry of Justice, the Council of State confirmed in October the need to carry out major rehabilitation work on the entire establishment, and in particular on the promenade. A steering committee is underway to determine the scenario for such work but, for the time being, no date has been set.