(Paris) The Paris Court of Appeal decided on Monday to place French comedian Pierre Palmade, 54, in pre-trial detention after the serious road accident he caused on February 10 under the influence of cocaine , announced the general prosecutor’s office.
The artist, hospitalized since this event and victim of a stroke on Saturday, remains for the moment in a hospital in the Paris region because of his state of health, a source familiar with the matter told AFP. He should then join the prison of Fresnes in the southern suburbs of Paris or a specialized establishment.
After his indictment for homicide and involuntary injuries by driver having used narcotics in a state of recidivism, Pierre Palmade had been assigned to residence on February 17 under electronic bracelet in the addiction service of a hospital in the Paris suburbs.
The public prosecutor’s office had however demanded his detention and the Paris Court of Appeal followed this recommendation on Monday.
On February 10, on a secondary road in the Paris region, the comedian was driving a car that hit a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction. In addition to the artist, the accident left three seriously injured: a 38-year-old man, his 6-year-old son and his pregnant 27-year-old sister-in-law, who lost her baby after the collision.
Pierre Palmade, tested positive for cocaine, “acknowledged” having consumed it as well as synthetic drugs before driving, according to the prosecution.
The comedian is also targeted by an investigation into the possession of child pornography, opened after a report made to the police. In connection with this case, a man was charged on Saturday for distributing and possessing child pornography.
However, at this stage, no charges have been brought against Pierre Palmade in this new case. His Parisian home and his house located in Cély-en-Bière, south of Paris, were searched. Computer equipment was seized there.
Pierre Palmade was sentenced in 1995 for cocaine use. In 2019, he was taken into custody for use and acquisition of narcotics after being falsely accused of rape.