The businessman Bernard Magrez surrounded by his advice. – E.Provenzano / 20 Minutes
- During the burglary, the Magrez couple was not injured. The thieves left with collector’s watches, jewelry, bank cards and the couple’s Range Rover vehicle.
- Before the trial begins, the 84-year-old businessman wonders who gave so much information about his home. Because the burglars “were perfectly informed”.
- “The damage is significant but much lower than it could have been if they had been interested in the paintings and other works of art present in the house”, commented the president of the court.
“I’m waiting to find out who betrayed me, who gave all this information to these people to go home and find the car keys and the rest, they were perfectly informed!” », Comments to 20 minutes Bernard Magrez, 84 years old. The Bordeaux businessman and his wife were victims of a burglary and sequestration lasting several hours, on the night of January 11 to 12, 2018, at their Bordeaux home.
Six defendants, three of whom are in pre-trial detention, appear until Friday before the Bordeaux Criminal Court. Five of them are being prosecuted for theft and kidnapping and the sixth, suspected of having helped them, in particular by facilitating their escape, is being prosecuted for complicity. Very shocked, Bernard Magrez and his wife were not however injured during this attack, no ITT day was declared.
A “blow to 300,000 euros” expected
By entering masked and gloved in the one who is nicknamed “the man with forty castles”, the five individuals thought to empty coffers filled with cash. The president of the court, Jean-Luc Ybres, by retracing the elements of the investigation underlines the expectation by the band of a “blow to 300,000 euros”. But now, they may well threaten the Magrez couple, they do not find much cash in the house.
They then fall back on collector’s watches, jewelry, bank cards and leave with the couple’s Range Rover vehicle. “The damage is significant but much lower than it could have been if they had been interested in the paintings and other works of art present in the house”, comments the president of the court.
Breaking in after scaling the garden wall and breaking through a shutter, the burglars then pinned the couple to the ground and tried to scare them. They threaten to slash the hands of Bernard Magrez’s wife or to kidnap her as far as Spain. She says that she takes them to the collector’s watches and her jewelry, stored in a box located in the bathroom.
Abandonment of the vehicle in Léognan
They leave around 6 a.m., after the couple have made them believe the arrival of the housekeeper, who actually doesn’t start until 8:30 a.m. They tie up the couple with scarves and run away with their loot. Bernard Magrez and his wife manage to free themselves after an hour and give the alert to a neighbor who passes in the street, since their attackers had taken care to cut the telephone wire (and to put out use their laptops).
The gang abandons the stolen vehicle in Léognan, obviously in a hurry since the fires remain on. The vehicle’s geolocation system will make it possible to trace their journey which includes several stops for attempted withdrawals of money. Inside the vehicle, which will be the subject of numerous samples, a bottle of acetone and the box of the Magrez house monitoring system are found.
During the investigation, the police will take an interest in a man already known for acts of delinquency in the Paris region. At the head of a small painting company, he owns a warehouse located 300 meters from the place where the vehicle was found, in Léognan. Brother-in-law of the three brothers accused in this case and prosecuted for complicity, he told the examining magistrate that he had been “too naive” with them.
The president of the tribunal delivered this Tuesday morning to a detailed account of all the facts and investigations in order to show “the thoroughness of the investigation”. A lot of clarification is nevertheless expected during this trial, in particular on the preparation for this operation. Debates continue until Friday.