She was performing, barefoot, when she collapsed in front of the spectators. Singer Barbara Weldens was 35 and had just released her first album when she died on stage on the evening of July 19, 2017, in the Cordeliers church in Gourdon (Batch). She was six months pregnant.
The investigation revealed “electrical malfunctions”, “obsolete” equipment: a cable connected to the microphone, of which a weld “was badly done”, and a “stale” projector are at the origin of the accident. More than five years after the tragedy, it is therefore the head of the association organizing the festival – the Friends of the Butte -, that of the sound system and that of the lighting who were judged this Thursday for “manslaughter” in front of the correctional court of Cahors.
“The stake of these standards is life”
“These are combined faults which led to the electrocution”, summarized the deputy prosecutor, Morgane Raffy, who requested against the person in charge of the lighting 24 months of imprisonment, including 18 suspended, and a permanent ban on practicing the profession. She asked for a twelve-month suspended sentence against the person in charge of the sound system.
The prosecution, which accuses the association of having hired technicians without having checked their “professional qualification” and of not having examined the “electrical installations, even temporary”, requested a fine of 20,000 euros against the Friends of the Butte. This case “demonstrates the reason for the existence of standards”, underlined Morgane Raffy, adding that “if all the standards had been respected in this case, no one would be here. What is at stake in these standards is life”.
Judgment on February 16
The lighting manager had no electrical training, but had been in the field for thirty years. According to his lawyer, Thierry Carrère, who pleaded for release, he “was not aware of exposing others to any danger whatsoever” and the town hall of Gourdon, which hosted the concert, “should have had a dedicated electrician”.
Denis Boucharinc, the lawyer for the singer’s relatives, expressed their wish to “not overwhelm anyone” and only sent requests for compensation. Judgment was reserved for February 16.