the trial begins in the criminal court

It is a tragedy that will have taken five years before being brought to justice. On October 15, 2016, in the heart ofAngers (Maine-et-Loire), a balcony collapsed during a student party. Eighteen young people fell more than eight meters, and four of them lost their lives. From the beginning of the investigation, the existence of poor workmanship was immediately mentioned for this building built in 2000. The traces, in particular, challenged: shockingly, they show the balcony as cut clean, like those below, also swept away, but empty, at the time of the facts.

Five people linked to the construction of the building are being prosecuted for manslaughter. These are the architect, the site manager, the works manager, the manager of the structural work company and the person in charge of technical control. Expertise has also succeeded one another, and they are overwhelming: porous concrete, poorly mounted reinforcement, faulty sealing… For its part, the defense evokes other potential causes, such as a lack of maintenance. The trial will be held at the Angers Criminal Court from Wednesday February 9 to Friday March 4. The defendants incur up to 3 years in prison and a fine of 45,000 euros.