“I destroyed a family for 3 euros”: the Alès court sentences the driver to 5 years in prison, 2 of which are suspended

“A delicate file. A trying file.” This Thursday, September 28, Claire Sarode, the president of the immediate appearance hearing of the Alès criminal court, sees the right moment to address this case of road accident that occurred on May 14, around 10 p.m., on the RN106, at Salles-du-Gardon, in Gard. Throughout the debates, in the room, families suffer, react, cry out. In the box, the defendant, aged 25, never stops crying, even collapsing to the point of being suspended…

“If only I could have been in Kevin’s place”

That evening, a barbecue was organized in La Grand-Combe. This young man, from Castres, is a speed addict. Accompanied by two friends, he drives to buy a bottle of soda to accompany the alcohol. He drives even though he has been drinking heavily and using cannabis. He drives fast. And, coming out of a turn, his car ends up in a wall. His front passenger dies; the other young person who was sitting in the back is very seriously injured. “I’m really sorry. If only I could have been in Kevin’s place (the person killed, editor’s note). If only… It’s too late. It’s shit”, sobs the driver, trembling, who has just spent a night in pre-trial detention after being summoned by the gendarmes on Tuesday. “It was for €3. It was for soda. I destroyed a family for €3.”

The widow: “And me? I don’t want to die every day?”

He continues to mourn when the widow, who has become the mother of two orphans aged 2 and 3 years, testifies to her pain, when the brother of the deceased explains that he “took (her) life” from her, that “he destroyed (his) mother”, that “he destroyed (his) father”, that “he destroyed (his) family”. At the moment when the court begins the examination of his personality, the defendant asks to speak: “I prefer to serve prison time. Give me what I have to take if it can ease the conscience of the family. Little No matter what I take, it won’t bring anyone back. I just want to die.” The partner of the deceased passenger once again comes out of shock: “And me? I don’t want to die every day?”

The prosecution calls for a “significant” sentence

After the speeches of the civil parties, represented by Messrs Olivia Betoe and Joris Numa, Quentin Larroque, deputy public prosecutor, charges against this motorist who has already been convicted of traffic offences. Speed, drugs and alcohol. For the prosecutor, “this is in line with common law. It had all the makings of a relentless, inevitable accident. He was not aware of the danger he represented while driving, that his vehicle was becoming a weapon in the conditions in which he was driving.” The public prosecutor then requires a “significant” sentence: four years in prison, half of which will be suspended for two years, and, in particular, continued detention. Defense counsel, Me Florence Mendez invites the bench to “take an interest in the sentence” and recalls that his client “is there for that, to be convicted. He is perfectly aware of this.” The lawyer dwells on the life of this motorist who “acted stupid until he hit the wall. Then he understood!” But she believes that her place is not in a cell and pleads for house arrest.

The driver immediately returns to the cell

The defendant wanted to go to prison and the court hears it. After a time of deliberation, he even goes beyond the prosecution’s indictment. In fact, the driver was sentenced to five years of incarceration, two of which were suspended for two years, accompanied by continued detention. The defendant leaves the box between two prison administration officials; the families leave the courtroom in silence.