“The life of the police officer, no more than that of others, was threatened by Mr. Beux who was fleeing”, mentions the Court of Cassation in its judgment.
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The policeman Christophe Mercier, accused of having knocked out a Corsican supporter in 2016 in Reims, was definitively referred to the Assize Court for “willful violence with the use or threat of a weapon resulting in permanent mutilation”, indicates Tuesday 23 November France Bleu Champagne-Ardenne. In a judgment rendered on October 6, 2021, the Court of Cassation rejected the last appeal of the Reims police officer.
The judgment of the Court of Cassation specifies that “the use of their weapons by the police must only be carried out in cases of absolute necessity and in a strictly proportionate manner and that in this case the life of the police officer, not more than that of others, was not threatened by Mr. Beux (the Corsican supporter, editor’s note.) who was fleeing and from whom nothing shows that he was carrying a weapon, even by destination “.
On February 13, 2016, after the Ligue 1 match Reims-Bastia, Maxime Beux, a young Corsican supporter aged 22 at the time of the incident, lost the use of his left eye after receiving a blow from a telescopic baton on the sidelines of clashes with the police. The police officer from the Reims Anti-Crime Brigade (BAC) has always denied having intentionally wanted to hurt the supporter. He faces up to 15 years of criminal imprisonment.
“My client is relieved! He is relieved but he remains cautious because it is the verdict of the trial that will matter a lot to him, he will finally be able to appear as a civil party, as a victim in court, and it is an important step “, says Maître Génuini, Maxime Beux’s lawyer. For their part, the police officer’s lawyers declined to comment.