Three days after having sequestered a young woman in her own car trunk to withdraw money with her bank card in Pont-à-Mousson, a Messin in his sixties was tried on Wednesday at the Administrative Court of Nancy.
The victim on the stand
In the box, the defendant, graying hair and glasses around his neck, speaks in a hesitant voice. It is difficult to imagine that this is the same man as the one who, on Sunday July 24, threatened a young woman with a dummy weapon in the parking lot of Match, in Pont-à-Mousson. However, from the first questions, he recognizes everything. The fact of having entered her car, of having forced her to drive in a place without neighbors, of having sequestered her in her own trunk, of having extorted her bank card code, of having withdrawn around 1,000 euros with, and to have abandoned it on the side of a road.
The young caregiver, who managed to keep her phone, was able to call the police, allowing them to be quickly foundand identify the accused. “One can only imagine the state of terror in which she was”, insists the prosecutor. The young woman is present, approaches the bar, and wants to testify to the trauma she has experienced. “Ideas were swirling around in my head, I was thinking about how to get out of it, but I was scared, too.”
I am a caregiver, I am used to worrying about the lives of others. Sunday, for the first time, I was afraid for mine.
When the president asks the defendant if he is aware of the trauma he has caused, the man answers in the affirmative. He turns to her and apologizes.
50,000 euros of debt
When questioned about the reasons for his act, the defendant, residing in Metz, quickly speaks of a depressive state. Three years ago, he lost his job as an engineer. “I spoke about it several times with my wife, she told me to go to consult. But out of pride perhaps, I did not do it”. His wife has two jobs, he has just found one as a barge loading operator in Metz, but the man has 50,000 euros in debt. “Lack of money drives you crazy. Not the crazy person who sends you to the asylum, but depressive” he insists. He specifies several times to be ready to undertake psychological follow-up.
An explanation that does not convince the prosecutor, who says he does not believe in the “coup of madness”. “We are facing a timed execution” he indicates, specifying that the Messin arrived around 10 am in the parking lot, before take action more than an hour and a half later. “Several times during your audition, you talked about finding the right timing.” For her part, the president also points out that the man came to Pont-à-Mousson “because the shops are open on Sundays, unlike the Moselle. That’s a preparation, sir”. The defendant answers in the affirmative in a breath, just like when she asks him if he bought the dummy weapon two days before the facts in anticipation.
After deliberation, the court condemns the Messin to four years in prison, two of which are suspended, with continued detention. He also has a duty of care, ban on going to Pont-à-Mousson for three yearsto possess a weapon for five years, and to come into contact with his victim.