During his trial, Thibaud Garagnon confirmed to be the one who had caused the fire in the rue Myrha, which killed eight people in 2015. But the 24-year-old man evokes the influence of one of "his imaginary friends" .
"We didn't think we were going to kill people," he insisted.
"I recognize the facts. But we did not imagine the consequences."
From the first day of his trial before the Paris Assize Court, Thibaud Garagnon, 24, confirmed having voluntarily set fire in September 2015 to the building at 4 rue Myrha, in the Parisian district of Goutte Golden.
The incident, one of the deadliest arson attacks in recent years in the capital, left eight people dead, including two children aged 8 and 14.
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With brown hair tied back in a ponytail, wearing a dark gray long-sleeved t-shirt with the effigy of "Fluttershy", a character from the children's series
My Little Pony
, the accused made his debut in the box by moving with a crutch.
"We did not think to kill people", he insists to the address of the court and the jurors.
"He is part of my personality"
In the audience, a voice sounds immediately.
"Stop lying !"
President Emmanuelle Bessone immediately interrupts the untimely cry and returns to Thibaud Garagnon, perplexed.
“You say 'I admit the facts' and then you go to 'We' ... Is it 'I' or 'We'?" She asks.
The young man, under psychiatric follow-up since his incarceration one year after the facts, explains that he set fire to the building under the influence of one of his "imaginary friends", a character "very violent" that he calls it "Superbia".
"He's part of my personality," he says.
Several "imaginary friends" mentioned to investigators
During his interrogation disputes, the young man told investigators about several of these "imaginary friends" such as "Baby Fox", "Thibaud / Fox", or "Light", the "sweet and shy", to whom he made call when he needs comfort.
"I did not wish the death of the people who died", he repeated in front of the court, "I pray every evening for the families and the victims".
President Bessone does not seem totally convinced.
During the investigation, she recalls, "it was not always a question of these different personalities. At the beginning, you never spoke of them".
"I did not want to talk about my personalities because I feared that it would have a bad effect", answers the young man.
The psychological and psychiatric experts who will be called to the bar next week have ruled out "any abolition or alteration of discernment at the time of the facts", specifies immediately the president.
In other words, Thibaud Garagnon would be totally responsible for his actions.
In his box, the accused said nothing.
In prison, he cultivates his immature side.
In addition to his
My Little Pony
t-shirt
, he has pacifiers, bottles and soft toys in detention.
"He does not want to tell the truth", annoys the parent of a victim
Questioned by the press outside the Assize Court, Laurent Thieffry, one of Thibaud Garagnon's lawyers, recognized "the complex personality" of his client.
There is "a proven or hypothetical personality split", argued Me Thieffry, who also speaks "of major psychological difficulties".
"He did not want the consequences of his actions. He was unaware of the dangers he was running to others," says the lawyer.
"When I hear him say 'we', it shocks me and it annoys me because until now, he does not want to tell the truth", annoyed Alassane Tandian, one of the parents of four of the eight victims of the fire, questioned at the exit of the court.
"It is not a person who is sick. He knows very well what he is doing, what he is saying," he said.