A 27-year-old man was sentenced to six months in prison Wednesday 17th April, 2019, for his outrages and threats against agents of the SNCF, in the station of Rouen. Story.
A 27-year-old man was tried by the Criminal Court of Rouen (Seine-Maritime) , Wednesday 17th April, 2019, for threatening to death, outraged the controllers of the SNCF and urinated on a seat of the station . The hearing was marked by the casual, even disrespectful behavior of the defendant. Which did not plead in his favour. Story.
He urinates on a seat
On February 17th, 2019, in the lobby of the Rouen station, several users report to an SNCF agent that an individual is urinating on a seat and has left his penis out of his pants. Only the agent asks two controllers to reinforce the situation.
On arrival, they find that the seat is covered with urine and ask him if he is the author, the man answers that no and then face the call to the law of the controllers starts to insult them. “It was an outburst of insults,” says one of the controllers. The police are then contacted, and once there, the man continues the outrages. He is arrested. “Once he was handcuffed, he threatened us with death and our family in front of the police,” said another railway officer.
The video surveillance of the hall shows the sharp altercation between the defendant and the controllers, but also shows the man urinating on the hall seat leaving no room for doubt.
Judged by videoconference
Incarcerated in Le Havre, Jean * is tried by videoconference. Unrepresented by a lawyer, he acknowledges the facts and explains himself, but in a very aggressive way, particularly towards the victims.
“Why do not they tell the truth? They told me that whatever I do, they would be untouchable.”
His criminal record mentions a dozen convictions, the majority of which are for insults or death threats against persons in public office. “How do you explain this criminal record? “Asks the president of the court. The defendant answers simply: “I do not know, it’s my behaviour”.
A casual attitude
The man with the casual attitude allows himself several times to cut the floor in court, during the statements of the victims, but also during the pleading of the civil parties and the requisitions of the prosecutor, pretending not to hear them or bursting with laughter reading certain auditions. Despite repeated reminders, it persists in his behaviour, forcing the president to end the videoconference, the trial continues in his absence.
For the civil party, the defendant adopted that day a behaviour “harmful and harmful in the presence of users” and “pours a continuous stream of insults and death threat on my customers” highlighting the behaviour of the defendant to the audience, which demonstrates in his view a complete lack of willingness to reform.
The lawyer asks the court 400 euros for non-pecuniary damage for each of the controllers. For the SNCF which was constituted civil party alongside its agents, he claims the sum of 384 euros because of the damage and disruption of service caused by the defendant.
Six months in prison
For the prosecution, the facts are very unpleasant, and are characterized by testimonials and video surveillance. He emphasizes the incivism of the defendant “who in his all power, poured that day, a flood of insults and threats” and adds that his attitude at the hearing shows his feeling of all power.
It requires the punishment of nine months of imprisonment with detention and a fine of 150 euros “in order to vigorously remind the defendant of the prohibition and especially the respect of the institutions”.
The court, after deliberating, declares Jean guilty of the facts alleged against him and sentenced him to six months’ imprisonment and a fine of 150 euros. **
* The name has been changed
** This sentence is subject to appeal. Everyone is presumed innocent until all the remedies have been exhausted.
