The driver who killed a woman Thursday in Montpellier, at the heart of the celebrations of supporters of the Algerian team, was driving "at a speed obviously excessive," said Saturday the prosecutor of Montpellier, specifying that the young man had assured not not be a supporter of "Fennecs". The magistrate requested his detention on remand.
The 21-year-old, "a French national, an electrician by profession, a driving license holder for four months, was driving at an obviously excessive speed," said Christophe Barret, citing recorded testimonies, video analyzes and traces. significant braking on the roadway.
The young man had no judicial record
"Around 22:30, the car was driving on a street without difficulty, a very wide street with four lanes," said the prosecutor: "She swerved, climbed onto the sidewalk and hit a group of pedestrians. who was there, quite in their place and peacefully. " It was in this shock that the 42-year-old mother died. Her one-year-old baby was seriously injured and her 17-year-old daughter was slightly touched.
The driver had no criminal record, said the magistrate, who opened a criminal investigation for manslaughter with a vehicle, and unintentional injuries, with deliberate breach of a particular duty of care. This deliberate breach is twofold: excessive speed and lack of control of the vehicle, said the Montpellier prosecutor.
He says he was going to a friend's house
The driver, Franco-Moroccan as confirmed by his mother at AFP Saturday morning, denied being a supporter of the Algerian team, whose fans were celebrating Thursday night the qualification for the semi-finals of the French Cup. Africa of Nations. He told investigators not to be interested in football. If he was in his vehicle it was not to celebrate the Algerian victory but to "go to a friend's house," he said, according to the prosecutor.
"However, in the investigations that have been conducted, there are a number of elements that contradict these statements.It will be up to the investigating judge to continue investigations to resolve these contradictions," insisted the magistrate.
A source close to the investigation had initially introduced the young man Friday morning as a supporter of "Fennecs". According to another source close to the file interviewed by AFP, the young man would have watched the match, as confirmed by "SMS exchanged with his girlfriend". Some witnesses to the accident reported that the vehicle had its hazard warning lights on and honked, as do drivers who want to express their jubilation. The individual explained to the investigators that he had only honked because he had just met an acquaintance.
The penalty for aggravated manslaughter is up to 7 years and a fine of 100,000 euros.