Toulouse: At 85, the violent husband hums in the ear of his judges
The man was to be tried for domestic violence. The lawsuit was reported. The stake of the hearing was his continuation or not in detention. His behavior a surprise.
Surreal hearing this Tuesday afternoon before the Toulouse Criminal Court. By videoconference from the Seysses remand center appeared, in his wheelchair, an 85-year-old man arrested at the end of last week for domestic violence on the one with whom he has lived for 66 years.
Placed in front of the defendant, a round pellet, the microphone. He keeps fidgeting and carrying in his ear making an unbearable noise. “I can’t hear you,” repeats the old man, wedged into his chair before starting to sing.
“I think that Monsieur must put a little ill will into it”, annoys the president Myriam Viargues. Since 8 p.m. on Friday, the man has been in the cell. “But we were not able to extract him for today’s hearing”, gets angry with his lawyer, Me Elsa Sanchez, who raises the nullity of the summons to court for her client, whose curator has not been warned.
The octogenarian is suspected of two episodes of violence against his wife, last Tuesday and Thursday, in their accommodation in the Bagatelle district. He allegedly punched him before trying to knock him over with his wheelchair. She filed a complaint. However, the trial will take place in several weeks. A psychiatric expertise must be carried out. The issue of the hearing is the continued detention of the 85-year-old man who “suffers from physical pathologies, and who is in a state of great vulnerability, describes the lawyer”. Today, the conditions of detention in Seysses are deplorable. We are certain that they will be unworthy”.
The president stops him: “We are not going to put the Seysses prison on trial”. Victim, the defendant’s wife is “willing to welcome him home despite their extremely stormy relationship”.
A position confirmed by Me Hugo Bouillet, for the victim: “This gentleman is bedridden, he has no place in prison”. The octogenarian continues to sing. The prosecutor does not want to be fooled: “This gentleman does not cause pity. He is scary. He doesn’t care about jurisdiction. He kept saying he wouldn’t go to jail.
The court decides to release this man pending his trial in June.