The judge went beyond the requisitions of the prosecution. The Bobigny court (Seine-Saint-Denis) on Thursday, January 6, sentenced six police officers to terms ranging from 6 to 12 months in prison, including six months closed for some, for violence and racist insults during the arrest of ‘an Egyptian in April 2020. The video of the scene, captured by a local resident and broadcast by journalist Taha Bouhafs on social networks, had caused great emotion.
A policeman, who had declared “a bicot like that, it does not swim” against the arrested one, was condemned to six months of suspended sentence. Four of his colleagues were sentenced to 12 months, including 6 months fixed and a ban on practice for 12 months. A police officer was sentenced to 12 months suspended prison sentence for “not preventing violence”.
The court agreed to join the case on the facts of “racist insults” to the direct citations of the civil party for the facts of “violence”. The Bobigny public prosecutor’s office had not retained violence in its requisitions, only insults, and asked for lower penalties.
“I am happy, justice has been done. I have been wronged, assaulted. I am happy with this decision”, rejoiced Samir Elgendy, the victim, at the end of the deliberation.
On April 26, 2020 at around 1:30 a.m., police officers arrested on Île-Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis) the 29-year-old Egyptian national suspected of theft of equipment on a construction site and who had tried, according to sources police officers, to flee by throwing themselves into the Seine. On the facts of theft, the case was dismissed.
The police officer who used the term “bicot” had pleaded “the joke in bad taste” during his trial in November and the “need to unzip and make the gallery laugh”, also declared the policeman, from the night staff of the Territorial Directorate of Public Security of Hauts-de-Seine.
In this case which had aroused indignation, two police officers were sanctioned administratively in October by five days of firm exclusion. The director general of the national police, Frédéric Veaux, went beyond the recommendations of the disciplinary council of the police headquarters, which had proposed three.