Illustration of a member of the Civil Security demining cell. - Emile Pol / SIPA

Stretched wires and cartridges ready to be pulled in case of intrusion. In Yvignac-la-Tour, in the Côtes d'Armor, a collector was so afraid of intrusions into his house that he had decided to trap it. The justice sentenced him to a fine of 2,000 euros suspended for endangering the lives of others. The men who attempted to rob his home were also found guilty.

The facts date back to 2018, when the gendarmes are called for a burglary or an attempted burglary of a house away from the crowd in this small town of a thousand inhabitants, located near Dinan. Witnesses evoke "hooded men with handguns coming out of a sedan". Arrived on site, the gendarmes find no one but perceive an open window and discover "a firing device that snaps into place", forcing the police to back off, explains Saint-Malo prosecutor Christine Le Crom.

A "real Ali Baba cave"

The gendarmes had called on a demining team from Brest, the house being completely trapped. Cartridges were even placed "in such a way that there was one that could shoot at the legs, chest and head," added the prosecutor. In the house, the investigators discover a “real Ali Baba cave”, including sperm whale bones, turtle shells, various stuffed objects or even African statues. The owner, a collector living between Santo Domingo and Miami, had nevertheless noted everywhere that the house was trapped. "It could have been dramatic," also noted the magistrate.

The court convicted the owner of "deliberately endangering the lives of others", in particular because of the presence of category B weapons. The three burglars, three men in their twenties, were were sentenced to two to three months suspended prison sentence by the criminal court of Saint-Malo.

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  • Burglary
  • Reindeer
  • Justice
  • Saint Malo