The six young men participated in the riots on the night of June 29 to 30 in the center of Montargis, following the death of Nahel. The criminal court of this Loiret town sentenced them Friday evening to 12 to 24 months in prison.
Five of the six young men, already in detention, remain in prison at the end of the hearing. One of them, the only one to have never been convicted by the courts until Friday, has a modified home sentence. The seventh defendant was completely acquitted. The public prosecutor had requested between 18 months and four years in prison for the seven young men.
A city “vandalized in an organized manner”
After recalling the extent of the destruction that affected Montargis, the city’s public prosecutor Jean-Cédric Gaux underlined “the violent nihilism” and the “absence of political demands” of the rioters, describing a city “vandalized by organized manner.” “Not once was there any mention of Nahel” during the riots, noted the magistrate.
The young men, aged 19 to 22, were on trial for aggravated theft, aggravated damage and destruction by dangerous means. Some were also prosecuted for violence against police officers, although without ITT. In total, according to the prosecutor, three buildings were destroyed by fire, 80 shops damaged, including six looted, by 200 rioters, during the night of June 29 to 30 in the Loiret sub-prefecture. The local police station thus processed 146 complaints.
Confused by DNA or cameras
During the hearing, several of the young men admitted to having participated in the riots. However, only one explained that he wanted to express his “anger against the system”, “a bit like the yellow vests”. “I had anger inside me. I went there out of curiosity, I let myself be carried away. I didn’t think, I followed,” said this young man, adding that he was “ashamed” of his actions. Only one denied having been present. The others explained that they had not deteriorated.
“I went down out of stupidity. It was out of the ordinary,” said one of the young men. “I was under judicial supervision. When I saw the turn, I went home,” said another. All, however, were identified by their DNA or by video surveillance images, sometimes disputed. Six of the seven young men have criminal records. In their defense, several lawyers regretted requisitions that were “absolute and completely disproportionate”, or even “which tended towards cruelty”. In any case, all deplored piecemeal investigations, not resolving all the doubts about the actions of the defendants on the evening of the riots.